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V  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 


LARSEN'S-Bool's  2nd  Magazines 

11312%  SANTA  f;.CrjiCA  BLVD. 
WEST  LjOS  ANGELES 


I 


"  Dear  lady,"  he  assured  her,  "  you  repay  me  in  one  moment  for  all 
the  weariness  of  my  exile."      Frontispiece.      See  page  63. 


THE   DOUBLE 
TRAITOR 


BY 

E.  PHILLIPS  OPPENHEIM 

AtJTHoa  OF  "the  vanished  messemoeb,"  "mk  gkex 

OF   MONTE    CARLO,"    ETC. 


WITH  FRONTISPIECE  BY 
CLARENCE  F.  UNDERWOOD 


non-refefCT 


aWVAD '  Q3$ 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 

1915 


Copyright,  1915, 
Br  Little,  Browx,  and  Compaht. 


All  rights  reserved 


Published,  May,  1915 


THE   COLONIAL   PRESS 
C.    H.    SIMONDS   CO.,    BOSTON,    U.  8.  A. 


stack 
Annex 


y  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 


2137487 


/  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 


CHAPTER  I 

The  woman  leaned  across  the  table  towards  her 
companion. 

"  My  friend,"  she  said,  "  when  we  first  met  —  I 
am  ashamed,  considering  that  I  dine  alone  with  you 
to-night,  to  reflect  how  short  a  time  ago  —  you  spoke 
of  your  removal  here  from  Paris  very  much  as  though 
it  were  a  veritable  exile.  I  told  you  then  that  there 
might  be  surprises  in  store  for  you.  This  restaurant, 
for  instance!  We  both  know  our  Paris,  yet  do  we 
lack  anything  here  which  you  find  at  the  Ritz  or 
Giro's?" 

The  young  man  looked  around  him  appraisingly. 
The  two  were  dining  at  one  of  the  newest  and  most 
fashionable  restaurants  in  Berlin.  The  room  itself, 
although  a  little  sombre  by  reason  of  its  oak  panel- 
ling, was  relieved  from  absolute  gloom  by  the  light- 
ness and  elegance  of  its  furniture  and  appointments, 
the  profusion  of  flowers,  and  the  soft  grey  carpet,  so 
thickly  piled  that  every  sound  was  deadened.  The 
delicate  strains  of  music  came  from  an  invisible 
orchestra  concealed  behind  a  canopy  of  palms.  The 
head-waiters  had  the  correct  clerical  air,  half  com- 


2  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

placent,  half  dignified.  Among  the  other  diners  were 
many  beautiful  women  in  marvellous  toilettes.  A 
variety  of  uniforms,  worn  by  the  officers  at  different 
tables,  gave  colour  and  distinction  to  a  tout  ensemble 
with  which  even  Norgate  could  find  no  fault. 

"  Germany  has  changed  very  much  since  I  was 
here  as  a  boy,"  he  confessed.  "  One  has  heard  of 
the  growing  wealth  of  Berlin,  but  I  must  say  that  I 
scarcely  expected  — " 

He  hesitated.  His  companion  laughed  softly  at 
his  embarrassment. 

"  Do  not  forget,"  she  interrupted,  "  that  I  am 
Austrian  —  Austrian,  that  is  to  say,  with  much  Eng- 
lish in  my  blood.  What  you  say  about  Germans 
does  not  greatly  concern  me." 

"  Of  course,"  Norgate  resumed,  as  he  watched  the 
champagne  poured  into  his  glass,  "  one  is  too  much 
inclined  to  form  one's  conclusions  about  a  nation 
from  the  types  one  meets  travelling,  and  you  know 
what  the  Germans  have  done  for  Monte  Carlo  and 
the  Riviera  —  even,  to  a  lesser  extent,  for  Paris  and 
Rome.  Wherever  they  have  been,  for  the  last  few 
years,  they  seem  to  have  left  the  trail  of  the  Tumveaux 
riches.  It  is  not  only  their  clothes  but  their  manners 
and  bearing  which  affront." 

The  woman  leaned  her  head  for  a  moment  against 
the  tips  of  her  slim  and  beautifully  cared  for  fingers. 
She  looked  steadfastly  across  the  table  at  her  vis-a- 
vis. 

"  Now  that  you  are  here,"  she  said  softly,  "  you 
must  forget  those  things.  You  are  a  diplomatist, 
and  it  is  for  you,  is  it  not,  outwardly,  at  any  rate,  to 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  3 

see  only  the  good  of  the  country  in  which  your  work 
lies." 

Norgate  flushed  very  slightly.  His  companion's 
words  had  savoured  almost  of  a  reproof. 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  he  admitted.  "  I  have 
been  here  for  a  month,  though,  and  you  are  the  first 
person  to  whom  I  have  spoken  like  this.  And  you 
jourself,"  he  pointed  out,  "  encouraged  me,  did  you 
not,  when  you  insisted  upon  your  Austro-English 
nationality.?  " 

"  You  must  not  take  me  too  seriously,"  she  begged, 
smiling.  "  I  spoke  foolishly,  perhaps,  but  only  for 
your  good.  You  see,  Mr.  Francis  Norgate,  I  am 
just  a  little  interested  in  you  and  your  career." 

*'  And  I,  dear  Baroness,"  he  replied,  smiling  across 
at  her,  "  am  more  than  a  little  interested  in  —  you." 

She  unfurled  her  fan. 

"  I  believe,"  she  sighed,  "  that  you  are  going  to 
flirt  with  me." 

"  I  should  enter  into  an  unequal  contest,"  Norgate 
asserted.  "  My  methods  would  seem  too  clumsy, 
because  I  should  be  too  much  in  earnest." 

"  Whatever  the  truth  may  be  about  your  methods," 
she  declared,  "  I  rather  like  them,  or  else  I  should  not 
be  risking  my  reputation  in  this  still  prudish  city  by 
dining  with  you  alone  and  without  a  chaperon. 
Tell  me  a  little  about  yourself.  We  have  met  three 
times,  is  it  not  —  once  at  the  Embassy,  once  at  the 
Palace,  and  once  when  you  paid  me  that  call.  How 
old  are  you.?  Tell  me  about  your  people  in  Eng- 
land, and  where  else  you  have  served  besides  Paris  ?  " 

"  I  am  thirty  years  old,"  he  replied.     "  I  started 


4  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

at  Bukarest.  From  there  I  went  to  Rome.  Then  I 
was  second  attache  at  Paris,  and  finally,  as  you  see, 
here." 

"  And  your  people  —  they  are  English,  of 
course.'' " 

"  Naturally,"  he  answered.  "  My  mother  died 
when  I  was  quite  young,  and  my  father  when  I  was 
at  Eton.  I  have  an  estate  in  Hampshire  which  seems 
to  get  on  very  well  without  me." 

"And  you  really  care  about  your  profession.'* 
You  have  the  real  feeling  for  diplomacy  .f"  " 

"  I  think  there  is  nothing  else  like  it  in  the  world," 
he  assured  her. 

"  You  may  well  say  that,"  she  agreed  enthusiasti- 
cally. "  I  think  you  might  almost  add  that  there  has 
been  no  time  in  the  history  of  Europe  so  fraught  with 
possibilities,  so  fascinating  to  study,  as  the  pres- 
ent." 

He  looked  at  her  keenly.  It  is  the  first  instinct 
of  a  young  diplomatist  to  draw  in  his  horns  when  a 
beautiful  young  woman  confesses  herself  interested 
in  his  profession. 

"  You,  too,  think  of  these  things,  then  ?  "  he  re- 
marked. 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  But  naturally !  What  is  there  to  do  for  a  woman 
but  think.?  We  cannot  act,  or  rather,  if  we  do,  it  is 
in  a  very  insignificant  way.  We  are  lookers-on  at 
most  of  the  things  in  life  worth  doing." 

"  I  will  spare  you  all  the  obvious  retorts,"  he  said, 
"  if  you  will  tell  me  why  you  are  gazing  into  that 
mirror  so  earnestly.'*  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  5 

"  I  was  thinking,"  she  confessed,  "  what  a  re- 
markably good-looking  couple  we  were." 

He  followed  the  direction  of  her  eyes.  He  himself 
was  of  a  recognised  type.  His  complexion  was  fair, 
his  face  clean-shaven  and  strong  almost  to  rugged- 
ness.  His  mouth  was  firm,  his  nose  thin  and  straight, 
his  grey  eyes  well-set.  He  was  over  six  feet  and 
rather  slim  for  his  height.  But  if  his  type,  though 
attractive  enough,  was  in  its  way  ordinary,  hers  was 
entirely  unusual.  She,  too,  was  slim,  but  so  far 
from  being  tall,  her  figure  was  almost  petite.  Her 
dark  brown  hair  was  arranged  in  perfectly  plain 
braids  behind  and  with  a  slight  fringe  in  front.  Her 
complexion  was  pale.  Her  features  were  almost 
cameo-like  in  their  delicacy  and  perfection,  but  any 
suggestion  of  coldness  was  dissipated  at  once  by  the 
extraordinary  expressiveness  of  her  mouth  and  the 
softness  of  her  deep  blue  eyes.  Norgate  looked  from 
the  mirror  into  her  face.  There  was  a  little  smile 
upon  his  lips,  but  he  said  nothing. 

"  Some  day,"  she  said,  "  not  in  the  restaurant  here 
but  when  we  are  alone  and  have  time,  I  should  so 
much  like  to  talk  with  you  on  really  serious  matters." 

"  There  is  one  serious  matter,"  he  assured  her, 
"  which  I  should  like  to  discuss  with  you  now  or  at 
any  time." 

She  made  a  little  grimace  at  him. 

"  Let  it  be  now,  then,"  she  suggested,  leaning 
across  the  table.  "  We  will  leave  my  sort  of  serious 
things  for  another  time.  I  am  quite  certain  that  I 
know  where  your  sort  is  going  to  lead  us.  You  are 
going  to  make  love  to  me." 


6  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Do  you  mind?  "  he  asked  earnestly.  v  * 

She  became  suddenly  grave. 

"  Not  yet,"  she  begged.  "  Let  us  talk  and  live 
nonsense  for  a  few  more  weeks.  You  see,  I  really 
have  not  known  you  very  long,  have  I,  and  this  is  a 
very  dangerous  city  for  flirtations.  At  Court  one 
has  to  be  so  careful,  and  you  know  I  am  already  con- 
sidered far  too  much  of  a  Bohemian  here.  I  was  even 
given  to  understand,  a  little  time  ago,  by  a  very 
great  lady,  that  my  position  was  quite  precari- 
ous." 

"  Does  that  —  does  anything  matter  if  — " 

*'  It  is  not  of  myself  alone  that  I  am  thinking. 
Everything  matters  to  one  in  your  profession,"  she 
reminded  him  pointedly. 

"  I  believe,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  you  think  more 
of  my  profession  than  you  do  of  me ! " 

"  Quite  impossible,"  she  retorted  mockingly. 
*'  And  yet,  as  I  dare  say  you  have  already  realised, 
it  is  not  only  the  things  you  say  to  our  statesmen 
here,  and  the  reports  you  make,  which  count.  It  is 
your  daily  life  among  the  people  of  the  nation  to 
which  you  are  attached,  the  friends  you  make  among 
them,  the  hospitality  you  accept  and  offer,  which  has 
all  the  time  its  subtle  significance.  Now  I  am  not 
sure,  even,  that  I  am  a  very  good  companion  for  you, 
Mr.  Francis  Norgate." 

"  You  are  a  very  bad  one  for  my  peace  of  mind," 
he  assured  her. 

She  shook  her  head.  "  You  say  those  things  much 
too  glibly,"  she  declared.  "  I  am  afraid  that  you 
have  served  a  very  long  apprenticeship." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  7 

"  If  I  have,"  he  replied,  leaning  a  little  across  the 
table,  "  it  has  been  an  apprenticeship  only,  a  proba- 
tionary period  during  which  one  struggles  towards 
the  real  thing." 

"  You  think  you  will  know  when  you  have  found 
it  ?  "  she  murmured. 

-  He  drew  a  little  breath.     His  voice  even  trembled 
as  he  answered  her.     "  I  know  now,"  he  said  softly. 

Their  heads  were  almost  touching.  Suddenly  she 
drew  apart.  He  glanced  at  her  in  some  surprise, 
conscious  of  an  extraordinary  change  in  her  face,  of 
the  half-uttered  exclamation  strangled  upon  her  lips. 
He  turned  his  head  and  followed  the  direction  of  her 
eyes.  Three  young  men  in  the  uniform  of  officers 
had  entered  the  room,  and  stood  there  as  though  look- 
ing about  for  a  table.  Before  them  the  little  com- 
pany of  head-waiters  had  almost  prostrated  them- 
selves. The  manager,  summoned  in  breathless  haste, 
had  made  a  reverential  approach. 

"  Who  are  these  young  men  ?  "  Norgate  enquired. 

His  companion  made  no  reply.  Her  fine,  silky 
eyebrows  were  drawn  a  little  closer  together.  At 
that  moment  the  tallest  of  the  three  newcomers  seemed 
to  recognise  her.  He  strode  at  once  towards  their 
table.  Norgate,  glancing  up  at  his  approach,  was 
simply  conscious  of  the  coming  of  a  fair  young  man 
of  ordinary  German  type,  who  seemed  to  be  in  a  re- 
markably bad  temper. 

"  So  I  find  you  here,  Anna ! " 

The  Baroness  rose  as  though  unwillingly  to  her 
feet.  She  dropped  the  slightest  of  curtseys  and  re- 
sumed her  place. 


8  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Your  visit  is  a  little  unexpected,  is  it  not,  Karl  ?  '* 
she  remarked. 

"  Apparently ! "  the  young  man  answered,  with 
an  unpleasant  laugh. 

He  turned  and  stared  at  Norgate,  who  returned  his 
regard  with  half-amused,  half-impatient  indiffer- 
ence.    The  Baroness  leaned  forward  eagerly. 

"  Will  you  permit  me  to  present  Mr.  Francis  Nor- 
gate to  you,  Karl  ?  " 

Norgate,  who  had  suddenly  recognised  the  new- 
comer, rose  to  his  feet,  bowed  and  remained  standing. 
The  Prince's  only  reply  to  the  introduction  was  a 
frown. 

"  Kindly  give  me  your  seat,"  he  said  imperatively. 
**  I  will  conclude  your  entertainment  of  the  Baroness." 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  dead  silence.  In  the 
background  several  of  the  maitres  dlwtel  had  gath- 
ered obsequiously  around.  For  some  reason  or 
other,  every  one  seemed  to  be  looking  at  Norgate  as 
though  he  were  a  criminal. 

"  Isn't  your  request  a  little  unusual,  Prince  ?  "  he 
remarked  drily. 

The  colour  in  the  young  man's  face  became  almost 
purple. 

"  Did  you  hear  what  I  said,  sir?  "  he  demanded. 
"  Do  you  know  who  I  am.''  " 

"  Perfectly,"  Norgate  replied.  "  A  prince  who 
apparently  has  not  learnt  how  to  behave  himself  in 
a  public  place." 

The  young  man  took  a  quick  step  forward.  Nor- 
gate's  fists  were  clenched  and  his  eyes  glittering. 
The  Baroness  stepped  between  them. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  9 

"  Mr.  Norgate,"  she  said,  "  you  will  please  give  me 
your  escort  home." 

The  Prince's  companions  had  seized  him,  one  by 
either  arm.  An  older  man  who  had  been  dining  in  a 
distant  corner  of  the  room,  and  who  wore  the  uniform 
of  an  oflBcer  of  high  rank,  suddenly  approached. 
He  addressed  the  Prince,  and  they  all  talked  together 
in  excited  whispers.  Norgate  with  calm  fingers  ar- 
ranged the  cloak  around  his  companion  and  placed  a 
hundred  mark  note  upon  his  plate. 

"  I  will  return  for  my  change  another  evening," 
he  said  to  the  dumbfounded  waiter.  "  If  you  are 
ready,  Baroness." 

They  left  the  restaurant  amid  an  intense  hush. 
Norgate  waited  deliberately  whilst  the  door  was  some- 
what unwillingly  held  open  for  him  by  a  maitre 
dlwtel,  but  outside  the  Baroness's  automobile  was 
summoned  at  once.  She  placed  her  fingers  upon  Nor- 
gate's  arm,  and  he  felt  that  she  was  shivering. 

"  Please  do  not  take  me  home,"  she  faltered.  "  I 
am  so  sorry  —  so  very  sorry." 

He  laughed.  "  But  why.?  "  he  protested.  "  The 
young  fellow  behaved  like  a  cub,  but  no  one  offered 
him  any  provocation.  I  should  think  by  this  time  he 
is  probably  heartily  ashamed  of  himself.  May  I 
come  and  see  you  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Telephone  me,"  she  begged,  as  she  gave  him  her 
hand  through  the  window.  "  You  don't  quite  under- 
stand.    Please  telephone  to  me." 

She  suddenly  clutched  his  hand  with  both  of  hers 
and  then  fell  back  out  of  sight  among  the  cushions. 
Norgate  remained  upon  the  pavement  until  the  car 


10  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

had  disappeared.  Then  he  looked  back  once  more 
into  the  restaurant  and  strolled  across  the  brilliantly- 
lit  street  towards  the  Embassy. 


CHAPTER  II 

Norgate,  during  his  month's  stay  in  Berlin,  had 
already  adopted  regular  habits.  On  the  following 
morning  he  was  called  at  eight  o'clock  and  rode  for 
two  hours  in  the  fashionable  precincts  of  the  city. 
The  latter  portion  of  the  time  he  spent  looking  in 
vain  for  a  familiar  figure  in  a  green  riding-habit. 
The  Baroness,  however,  did  not  appear.  At  ten 
o'clock  Norgate  returned  to  the  Embassy,  bathed  and 
breakfasted,  and  a  little  after  eleven  made  his  way 
round  to  the  business  quarters.  One  of  his  fellow- 
workers  there  glanced  up  and  nodded  at  his  arrival. 

"  Where's  the  Chief?  "  Norgate  enquired. 

"  Gone  down  to  the  Palace,"  the  other  young  man, 
whose  name  was  Ansell,  replied ;  "  telephoned  for  the 
first  thing  this  morning.  Ghastly  habit  William  has 
of  getting  up  at  seven  o'clock  and  suddenly  remem- 
bering that  he  wants  to  talk  diplomacy.  The  Chief 
will  be  furious  all  day  now." 

Norgate  lit  a  cigarette  and  began  to  open  his 
letters.  Ansell,  however,  was  in  a  discoursive  mood. 
He  swung  around  from  his  desk  and  leaned  back  in 
his  chair. 

"  How  can  a  man,"  he  demanded,  "  see  a  question 
from  the  same  point  of  view  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening?  Abso- 
lutely impossible,  you  know.     That's  what's  the  mat- 


12  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

ter  with  our  versatile  friend  up  yonder.  He  gets  all 
aroused  over  some  scheme  or  other  which  comes  to 
him  in  the  dead  of  night,  hops  out  of  bed  before  any 
one  civilised  is  awake,  and  rings  up  for  ambassadors. 
Then  at  night-time  he  becomes  normal  again  and 
takes  everything  back.  The  consequence  is  that  this 
place  is  a  regular  diplomatic  see-saw.  Settling  down 
in  Berlin  pretty  well,  aren't  you,  Norgate  ?  " 

"  Very  nicely,  thanks,"  the  latter  replied. 

"  Dining  alone  with  the  Baroness  von  Haase !  "  his 
junior  continued.  "  A  Court  favourite,  too !  Never 
been  seen  alone  before  except  with  her  young  prince- 
ling.    What  honeyed  words  did  you  use,  Lothario  — " 

"  Oh,  chuck  it !  "  Norgate  interrupted.  "  Tell  me 
about  the  Baroness  von  Haase!  She  is  Austrian, 
isn't  she.?" 

Ansell  nodded. 

"  Related  to  the  Hapsburgs  themselves,  I  believe," 
he  said.  "  Very  old  family,  anyhow.  They  say  she 
came  to  spend  a  season  here  because  she  was  a  little 
too  go-ahead  for  the  ladies  of  Vienna.  I  must  say 
that  I've  never  seen  her  out  without  a  chaperon  be- 
fore, except  with  Prince  Karl.  They  say  he'd  marry 
her  —  morganatically,  of  course  —  if  they'd  let  him, 
and  if  the  lady  were  willing.  If  you  want  to  know 
anything  more  about  her,  go  into  Gray's  room." 

Norgate  looked  up  from  his  letters. 

"  Why  Gray's  room?  How  does  she  come  into  his 
department.''  " 

Ansell  shook  his  head. 

"  No  idea.     I  fancy  she  is  there,  though." 

Norgate  left  the  room  a  few  minutes  later,  and. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  13 

strolling  across  the  hall  of  the  Embassy,  made  his 
way  to  an  apartment  at  the  back  of  the  house.  It 
was  plainly  furnished,  there  were  bars  across  the 
window,  and  three  immense  safes  let  into  the  wall. 
An  elderly  gentleman,  with  gold-rimmed  spectacles 
and  a  very  benevolent  expression,  was  busy  with 
several  books  of  reference  before  him,  seated  at  a 
desk.     He  raised  his  head  at  Norgate's  entrance. 

*'  Good  morning,  Norgate,"  he  said. 

"  Good  morning,  sir,"  Norgate  replied. 

*'  Anything  in  my  way  ?  " 

Norgate  shook  his  head. 

"  Chief's  gone  to  the  Palace  —  no  one  knows  why. 
I  just  looked  in  because  I  met  a  woman  the  other  day 
whom  Ansell  says  you  know  something  about  — 
Baroness  von  Haase." 

"Well?" 

"  Is  there  anything  to  be  told  about  her?  "  Nor- 
gate asked  bluntly.     "  I  dined  with  her  last  night." 

"  Then  I  don't  think  I  would  again,  if  I  were  you," 
the  other  advised.  "  There  is  nothing  against  her, 
but  she  is  a  great  friend  of  certain  members  of  the 
Royal  Family  who  are  not  very  well  disposed  towards 
us,  and  she  is  rather  a  brainy  little  person.  They 
use  her  a  good  deal,  I  believe,  as  a  means  of  confiden- 
tial communication  between  here  and  Vienna.  She 
has  been  back  and  forth  three  or  four  times  lately, 
without  any  apparent  reason." 

Norgate  stood  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  frown- 
ing slightly. 

"  Why,  she's  half  an  Englishwoman,"  he  remarked. 

"  She  may  be,"  Mr.  Gray  admitted  drily.     "  The 


14  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

other  half's  Austrian  all  right,  though.  I  can't  tell 
jou  anything  more  about  her,  my  dear  fellow.  All  I 
can  say  is  that  she  is  in  my  book,  and  so  long  as  she 
is  there,  you  know  it's  better  for  you  youngsters  to 
keep  away.     Be  off  now.     I  am  decoding  a  dispatch." 

Norgate  retraced  his  steps  to  his  own  room. 
Ansell  glanced  up  from  a  mass  of  passports  as  he 
entered. 

"  How's  the  Secret  Service  Department  this  morn- 
ing? "  he  enquired. 

"  Old  Gray  seems  much  as  usual,"  Norgate  grum- 
bled.    "  One  doesn't  get  mudh  out  of  him." 

"  Chief  wants  you  in  his  room,"  Ansell  announced. 
"  He's  just  come  in  from  the  Palace,  looking  like 
nothing  on  earth." 

"  Wants  me?  "  Norgate  muttered.     "  Righto !  " 

He  went  to  the  looking-glass,  straightened  his  tie, 
and  made  his  way  towards  the  Ambassador's  private 
apartments.  The  latter  was  alone  when  he  entered, 
seated  before  his  table.  He  was  leaning  back  in  his 
chair,  however,  and  apparently  deep  in  thought.  He 
watched  Norgate  sternly  as  he  crossed  the  room. 

"  Good  morning,  sir,"  the  latter  said. 

The  Ambassador  nodded. 

"  What  have  you  been  up  to,  Norgate  ?  "  he  asked 
abruptly. 

"  Nothing  at  all  that  I  know  of,  sir,"  was  the 
prompt  reply. 

"  This  afternoon,"  the  Ambassador  continued 
slowly,  "  I  was  to  have  taken  you,  as  you  know,  to 
the  Palace  to  be  received  by  the  Kaiser.  At  seven 
o'clock  this  morning  I  had  a  message.     I  have  just 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  15 

come  from  the  Palace.  The  Kaiser  has  given  me  to 
understand  that  your  presence  in  Berlin  is  unwel- 
come." 

"  Good  God !  "  Norgate  exclaimed. 

**  Can  you  offer  me  any  explanation  ?  " 

For  a  moment  Norgate  was  speechless.  Then  he 
recovered  himself.  He  forgot  altogether  his  habits 
of  restraint.     There  was  an  angry  note  in  his  tone. 

"  It's  that  miserable  young  cub  of  a  Prince  Karl !  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  Last  night  I  was  dining,  sir,  with 
the  Baroness  von  Haase  at  the  Cafe  de  Berlin." 

"Alone?" 

"  Alone,"  Norgate  admitted.  "  It  was  not  for  me 
to  invite  a  chaperon  if  the  lady  did  not  choose  to 
bring  one,  was  it,  sir.^*  As  we  were  finishing  dinner, 
the  Prince  came  in.  He  made  a  scene  at  our  table 
and  ordered  me  to  leave." 

**  And  you  ?  "  the  Ambassador  asked. 

*'  I  simply  treated  him  as  I  would  any  other  young 
ass  who  forgot  himself,"  Norgate  replied  indignantly. 
"  I  naturally  refused  to  go,  and  the  Baroness  left  the 
place  with  me." 

"  And  you  did  not  expect  to  hear  of  this  again .''  " 

"  I  honestly  didn't.  I  should  have  thought,  for  his 
own  sake,  that  the  young  man  would  have  kept  his 
mouth  shut.  He  was  hopelessly  in  the  wrong,  and 
he  behaved  like  a  common  young  bounder." 

The  Ambassador  shook  his  head  slowly. 

"  Mr.  Norgate,"  he  said,  "  I  am  very  sorry  for 
you,  but  you  are  under  a  misapprehension  shared  by 
many  young  men.  You  believe  that  there  is  a  uni- 
versal standard  of  manners  and  deportment,  and  a 


i6  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

universal  series  of  customs  for  all  nations.  You 
have  our  English  standard  of  manners  in  your  mind, 
manners  which  range  from  a  ploughboy  to  a  king, 
and  you  seem  to  take  it  for  granted  that  these  are 
also  subscribed  to  in  other  countries.  In  my  posi- 
tion I  do  not  wish  to  say  too  much,  but  let  me  tell  you 
that  in  Germany  they  are  not.  If  a  prince  here 
chooses  to  behave  like  a  ploughboy,  he  is  right  where 
the  ploughboy  would  be  wrong." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  Norgate  was  look- 
ing a  little  dazed. 

*'  Then  you  mean  to  defend  — "  he  began. 

"  Certainly  not,"  the  Ambassador  interrupted. 
*'  I  am  not  speaking  to  you  as  one  of  ourselves.  I 
am  speaking  as  the  representative  of  England  in 
Berlin.  You  are  supposed  to  be  studying  diplomacy. 
You  have  been  guilty  of  a  colossal  blunder.  You 
have  shown  yourself  absolutely  ignorant  of  the  ideals 
and  customs  of  the  country  in  which  you  are.  It  is 
perfectly  correct  for  young  Prince  Karl  to  behave, 
as  you  put  it,  like  a  bounder.  The  people  expect  it 
of  him.  He  conforms  entirely  to  the  standard  ac- 
cepted by  the  military  aristocracy  of  Berlin.  It  is 
you  who  have  been  in  the  wrong  —  diplomatically." 

"  Then  you  mean,  sir,"  Norgate  protested,  "  that 
I  should  have  taken  it  sitting  down?  " 

'*  Most  assuredly  you  should,"  the  Ambassador  re- 
plied, *'  unless  you  were  willing  to  pay  the  price. 
Your  only  fault  —  your  personal  fault,  I  mean  — 
that  I  can  see  is  that  it  was  a  little  indiscreet  of  you 
to  dine  alone  with  a  young  woman  for  whom  the 
Prince  is  known  to  have  a  foolish  passion.     Diplo- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  17 

matically,  however,  you  have  committed  every  fault 
possible.  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  think  that  you  had 
better  report  in  Downing  Street  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  train  leaves,  I  think,  at  three  o'clock." 

Norgate  for  a  moment  was  unable  to  speak  or 
move.     He  was  struggling  with  a  sort  of  blind  fury. 

"  This  is  the  end  of  me,  then,"  he  muttered  at  last. 
"  I  am  to  be  disgraced  because  I  have  come  to  a  city 
of  boors." 

"  You  are  reprimanded  and  in  a  sense,  no  doubt, 
punished,"  the  Ambassador  explained  calmly,  "  be- 
cause you  have  come  to  —  shall  I  accept  your  term  ? 
—  a  city  of  boors  and  fail  to  adapt  yourself.  The 
true  diplomatist  adapts  himself  wherever  he  may  be. 
My  personal  sympathies  remain  with  you.  I  will  do 
what  I  can  in  my  report." 

Norgate  had  recovered  himself. 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  shall 
catch  the  three  o'clock  train." 

The  Ambassador  held  out  his  hand.  The  inter- 
view had  finished.  He  permitted  himself  to  speak 
differently. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  indeed,  Norgate,  that  this  has 
happened,"  he  declared.  "  We  all  have  our  trials 
to  bear  in  this  city,  and  you  have  run  up  against  one 
of  them  rather  before  your  time.  I  wish  you  good 
luck,  whatever  may  happen." 

Norgate  clasped  his  Chief's  hand  and  left  the 
apartment.  Then  he  made  his  way  to  his  rooms, 
gave  his  orders  and  sent  a  messenger  to  secure  his 
seat  in  the  train.  Last  of  all  he  went  to  the  tele- 
phone.    He  rang  up  the  number  which  had  become 


i8  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

already  familiar  to  him,  almost  with  reluctance.  He 
waited  for  the  reply  without  any  pleasurable  antici- 
pations. He  was  filled  with  a  burning  sense  of  re- 
sentment, a  feeling  which  extended  even  to  the  inno- 
cent cause  of  it.     Soon  he  heard  her  voice. 

"  That  is  Mr.  Norgate,  is  it  not.?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied.  "  I  rang  up  to  wish  you 
good-by." 

*'  Good-by !     But  you  are  going  away,  then  ?  " 

"  I  am  sent  away  —  dismissed !  " 

He  heard  her  little  exclamation  of  grief.  Its  com- 
plete genuineness  broke  down  a  little  the  wall  of  his 
anger. 

"  And  it  is  my  fault !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  If  only 
I  could  do  anything !  Will  you  wait  —  please  wait .'' 
I  will  go  to  the  Palace  myself." 

His  expostulation  was  almost  a  shock  to  her. 

*'  Baroness,"  he  replied,  "  if  I  permitted  your  inter- 
vention, I  could  never  hold  my  head  up  in  Berlin 
again !  In  any  case,  I  could  not  stay  here.  The 
first  thing  I  should  do  would  be  to  quarrel  with  that 
insufferable  young  cad  who  insulted  us  last  night. 
I  am  afraid,  at  the  first  opportunity,  I  should 
tell  — " 

"  Hush !  "  she  interrupted.  "  Oh,  please  hush ! 
You  must  not  talk  like  this,  even  over  the  telephone. 
Cannot  you  understand  that  you  are  not  in  Eng- 
land.? " 

"  I  am  beginning  to  realise,"  he  answered  gruffly, 
"  what  it  means  not  to  be  in  a  free  country.  I  am 
leaving  by  the  three  o'clock  train,  Baroness.  Fare- 
well ! " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  19 

"  But  you  must  not  go  like  this,"  she  pleaded. 
"  Come  first  and  see  me." 

"  No !  It  will  only  mean  more  disgrace  for  you. 
Besides  —  in  any  case,  I  have  decided  to  go  away 
without  seeing  you  again." 

Her  voice  was  very  soft.  He  found  himself  grip- 
ping the  pages  of  the  telephone  book  which  hung  by 
his  side. 

"But  is  that  kind?  Have  I  sinned,  Mr.  Francis 
Norgate  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not,"  he  answered,  keeping  his  tone 
level,  almost  indifferent.  "  I  hope  that  we  shall  meet 
again  some  day,  but  not  in  Berlin." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  He  thought,  even, 
that  she  had  gone  away.     Then  her  reply  came  back. 

"  So  be  it,"  she  murmured.     "  Not  in  Berlin.     Au 


revoir  I 


I  » 


CHAPTER  III 

Faithful  to  his  insular  prejudices,  Norgate,  on 
finding  that  the  other  seat  in  his  coupe  was  engaged, 
started  out  to  find  the  train  attendant  with  a  view  to 
changing  his  place.  His  errand,  however,  was  in 
vain.  The  train,  it  seemed,  was  crowded.  He  re- 
turned to  his  compartment  to  find  already  installed 
there  one  of  the  most  complete  and  absolute  types 
of  Germanism  he  had  ever  seen.  A  man  in  a  light 
grey  suit,  the  waistcoat  of  which  had  apparently 
abandoned  its  efforts  to  compass  his  girth,  wilh  a 
broad,  pink,  good-humoured  face,  beardless  and 
bland,  flaxen  hair  streaked  here  and  there  with  grey, 
was  seated  in  the  vacant  place.  He  had  with  him  a 
portmanteau  covered  with  a  linen  case,  his  boots  were 
a  bright  shade  of  yellow,  his  tie  was  of  white  satin 
with  a  design  of  lavender  flowers.  A  pair  of  black 
kid  gloves  lay  by  his  side.  He  welcomed  Norgate 
with  the  bland,  broad  smile  of  a  fellow-passenger 
whose  one  desire  it  is  to  make  a  lifelong  friend  of  his 
temporary  companion. 

"  We  have  the  compartment  to  ourselves,  is  it 
not  so  ?     You  are  English  ?  " 

Some  queer  chance  founded  upon  his  ill-humour, 
his  disgust  of  Germany  and  all  things  in  it,  induced 
Norgate  to  tell  a  deliberate  falsehood. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  21 

"  Sorry,"  he  replied  in  English.  "  I  don't  speak 
German." 

The  man's  satisfaction  was  complete. 

"  But  I  —  I  speak  the  most  wonderful  English. 
It  pleases  me  always  to  speak  English.  I  like  to  do 
so.  It  is  practice  for  me.  We  will  talk  English 
together,  you  and  I.  These  comic  papers,  they  do 
not  amuse.  And  books  in  the  train,  they  make  one 
giddy.  What  I  like  best  is  a  companion  and  a  bottle 
of  Rhine  wine." 

"  Personally,"  Norgate  confessed  gruffly,  "  I  like 
to  sleep." 

The  other  seemed  a  little  taken  aback  but  remained, 
apparently,  full  of  the  conviction  that  his  overtures 
could  be  nothing  but  acceptable. 

"  It  is  well  to  sleep,"  he  agreed,  "  if  one  has  worked 
hard.  Now  I  myself  am  a  hard  worker.  My  name 
is  Selingman.  I  manufacture  crockery  which  I  sell 
in  England.  That  is  why  I  speak  the  English  lan- 
guage so  wonderful.  For  the  last  three  nights  I 
have  been  up  reading  reports  of  my  English  cus- 
tomers, going  through  their  purchases.  Now  it  is 
finished.  I  am  well  posted.  I  am  off  to  sell  crockery 
in  London,  in  Manchester,  in  Leeds,  in  Birmingham. 
I  have  what  the  people  want.  They  will  receive  me 
with  open  arms,  some  of  them  even  welcome  me  at 
their  houses.  Thus  it  is  that  I  look  forward  to  my 
business  trip  as  a  holiday." 

"  Very  pleasant,  I'm  sure,"  Norgate  remarked, 
curling  himself  up  in  his  comer.  "  Personally,  I 
can't  see  why  we  can't  make  our  own  crockery.  I 
get  tired  of  seeing  German  goods  in  England." 


22  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Herr  Selingman  was  apparently  a  trifle  hurt,  but 
his  efforts  to  make  himself  agreeable  were  indomi- 
table. 

"  If  you  will,"  he  said,  "  I  can  explain  why  my 
crockery  sells  in  England  where  your  own  fails.  For 
one  thing,  then,  I  ami  cheaper.  There  is  a  system  at 
my  works,  the  like  of  which  is  not  known  in  England. 
From  the  raw  material  to  the  finished  article  I  can 
produce  forty  per  cent,  cheaper  than  your  makers, 
and,  mind  you,  that  is  not  because  I  save  in  wages. 
It  is  because  of  the  system  in  the  various  departments. 
I  do  not  like  to  save  in  wages,"  he  went  on.  "  I  like 
to  see  my  people  healthy  and  strong  and  happy.  I 
like  to  see  them  drink  beer  after  work  is  over,  and  on 
feast  days  and  Sundays  I  like  to  see  them  sit  in  the 
gardens  and  listen  to  the  band,  and  maybe  change 
their  beer  for  a  bottle  of  wine.  Industrially,  Mr. 
Englishman,  ours  is  a  happy  country." 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  won't  think  I  am  rude,"  Nor- 
gate  observed,  *'  but  from  the  little  I  have  seen  of  it 
I  call  it  a  beastly  country,  and  if  you  don't  mind  I 
am  going  to  sleep." 

Herr  Selingman  sat  for  several  moments  with  his 
mouth  still  open.  Then  he  gave  a  little  grunt. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  ill-humour  in  the  ejacu- 
lation or  in  his  expression.     He  was  simply  pained. 

"  I  am  sorry  if  I  have  talked  too  much,"  he  said. 
*'  I  forgot  that  you,  perhaps,  are  tired.  You  have 
met  with  disappointments,  maybe.  I  am  sorry.  I 
will  read  now  and  not  disturb  you." 

For  an  hour  or  so  Norgate  tried  in  vain  to  sleep. 
All  this  time  the  man  opposite  turned  the  pages  of  his 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  23 

book  with  the  utmost  cautiousness,  moved  on  tiptoe 
once  to  reach  down  more  papers,  and  held  out  his 
finger  to  warn  the  train  attendant  who  came  with 
some  harmless  question. 

"  The  English  gentleman,"  Norgate  heard  him 
whisper,  *'  is  tired.     Let  him  sleep." 

Soon  after  five  o'clock,  Norgate  gave  it  up.  He 
rose  to  his  feet,  stretched  himself,  and  was  welcomed 
with  a  pleasant  smile  from  his  companion. 

*'  You  have  had  a  refreshing  nap,"  the  latter  re- 
marked, "  and  now,  is  it  not  so,  you  go  to  take  a  cup 
of  English  tea.?  " 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  Norgate  admitted.  "  Bet- 
ter come  with  me." 

Herr  Selingman  smiled  a  smile  of  triumph.  It  was 
the  reward  of  geniality,  this!  He  was  forming  a 
new  friendship! 

"  I  come  with  great  pleasure,"  he  decided,  "  only 
while  you  drink  the  tea,  I  drink  the  coffee  or  some 
beer.  I  will  see.  I  like  best  the  beer,"  he  explained, 
turning  sidewise  to  get  out  of  the  door,  "  but  it  is  not 
the  best  for  my  figure.  I  have  a  good  conscience 
and  a  good  digestion,  and  I  eat  and  drink  much. 
But  it  is  good  to  be  happy." 

They  made  their  way  down  to  the  restaurant  car 
and  seated  themselves  at  a  table  together. 

**  You  let  me  do  the  ordering,"  Herr  Selingman 
insisted.  "  The  man  here,  perhaps,  does  not  speak 
English.  So!  You  will  drink  your  tea  with  me, 
sir.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  entertain  an 
Englishman.  I  make  many  friends  travelling.  I 
like  to  make  friends.     I  remember  them  all,  and  some- 


24  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

times  we  meet  again.  Kellner,  some  tea  for  the 
gentleman  —  English  tea  with  what  you  call  bread 
and  butter.  So!  And  for  me — "  Selingman 
paused  for  a  moment  and  drew  a  deep  sigh  of  resigna- 
tion — "  some  coffee." 

"  Very  kind  of  you,  I'm  sure,"  Norgate  murmured. 

Herr  Selingman  beamed. 

*'  It  is  a  great  pleasure,"  he  said,  "  but  many 
times  I  wonder  why  you  Englishmen,  so  clever,  so 
world-conquering,  do  not  take  the  trouble  to  make 
yourselves  with  the  languages  of  other  nations  famil- 
iar. It  means  but  a  little  study.  Now  you,  per- 
haps, are  in  business  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly,"  Norgate  replied  grimly.  "  To 
tell  you  the  truth,  at  the  present  moment  I  have  no 
occupation." 

"  No  occupation !  " 

Herr  Selingman  paused  in  the  act  of  conveying  a 
huge  portion  of  rusk  to  his  mouth,  and  regarded  his 
companion  with  wonder. 

"  So  !  "  he  repeated.  "  No  occupation  !  Well, 
that  is  what  in  Germany  we  know  nothing  of.  Every 
one  must  work,  or  must  take  up  the  army  as  a  per- 
manent profession.  You  are,  perhaps,  one  of  those 
Englishmen  of  whom  one  reads,  who  give  up  all  their 
time  to  sport?  " 

Norgate  shook  his  head. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,"  he  said,  "  I  have  worked 
rather  hard  during  the  last  five  or  six  years.  It  is 
only  just  recently  that  I  have  lost  my  occupation." 

Herr  Selingraan's  curiosity  was  almost  childlike 
in  its  transparency,  but  Norgate  found  himself  un- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  25 

able  to  gratify  it.  In  any  case,  after  his  denial  of 
any  knowledge  of  the  German  language,  he  could 
scarcely  lay  claim  to  even  the  most  indirect  connec-, 
tion  with  the  diplomatic  service. 

"  Ah,  well,"  Herr  Selingman  declared,  "  opportuni- 
ties will  come.  You  have  perhaps  lost  some  post. 
W«ll,  there  are  others.  I  should  not,  I  think,  be 
far  away  from  the  truth,  sir,  if  I  were  to  surmise 
that  you  had  held  some  sort  of  an  oflScial  position?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  Norgate  assented. 

"  That  is  interesting,"  Herr  Selingman  continued. 
**  Now  with  the  English  of  commerce  I  talk  often,  and 
I  know  their  views  of  me  and  my  country.  But  some- 
times I  have  fancied  that  among  your  official  classes 
those  who  are  ever  so  slightly  employed  in  Govern- 
ment service,  there  is  —  I  do  not  love  the  word,  but 
I  must  use  it  —  a  distrust  of  Germany  and  her  peace- 
loving  propensities." 

"  I  have  met  many  people,"  Norgate  admitted, 
**  who  do  not  look  upon  Germany  as  a  lover  of 
peace." 

"  They  should  come  and  travel  here,"  Herr  Seling- 
man insisted  eagerly.  "  Look  out  of  the  windows. 
What  do  you  see.''  Factory  chimneys,  furnaces 
everywhere.  And  further  on  —  what?  Well-tilled 
lands,  clean,  prosperous  villages,  a  happy,  domestic 
people.  I  tell  you  that  no  man  in  the  world  is  so 
fond  of  his  wife  and  children,  his  simple  life,  his  simple 
pleasures,  as  the  German." 

"  Very  likely,"  Norgate  assented,  "  but  if  you  look 
out  of  the  windows  continually  you  will  also  see  that 
every  station-master  on  the  line  wears  a  military  uni- 


26  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

form,  that  every  few  miles  you  see  barracks.  These 
simple  peasants  you  speak  of  carry  themselves  with  a 
different  air  from  ours.  I  don't  know  much  about 
it,  but  I  should  call  it  the  effect  of  their  military 
training.  I  know  nothing  about  politics.  Very 
likely  yours  is  a  nation  of  peace-loving  men.  As  a 
casual  observer,  I  should  call  you  more  a  nation  of 
soldiers." 

"  But  that,"  Herr  Selingman  explained  earnestly, 
**  is  for  defence  only." 

*'  And  your  great  standing  army,  your  wonderful 
artillery,  your  Zeppelins  and  your  navy,"  Norgate 
asked,  "  are  they  for  defence  only  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  and  entirely,"  Herr  Selingman  de- 
clared, with  a  new  and  ponderous  gravity.  "  There 
is  nothing  the  most  warlike  German  desires  more 
fervently  than  to  keep  the  peace.  We  are  strong 
only  because  we  desire  peace,  peace  under  which  our 
commerce  may  grow,  and  our  wealth  increase." 

"  Well,  it  seems  to  me,  then,"  Norgate  observed, 
"  that  you've  gone  to  a  great  deal  of  expense  and 
taken  a  great  deal  of  trouble  for  nothing.  I  don't 
know  much  about  these  things,  as  I  told  you  before, 
but  there  is  no  nation  in  the  world  who  wants  to 
attack  Germany." 

Herr  Selingman  laid  his  finger  upon  his  nose. 

"  That  may  be,"  he  said.  "  Yet  there  arei  many 
who  look  at  us  with  envious  eyes.  I  am  a  good 
German.  I  know  what  it  is  that  we  want.  We  want 
peace,  and  to  gain  peace  we  need  strength,  and  to  be 
strong  we  arm.  That  is  everything.  It  will  never 
be  Germany  who  clenches  her  fist,  who  draws  down 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  27 

the  black  clouds  of  war  over  Europe.  It  will  never 
be  Germany,  I  tell  you.  Why,  a  war  would  ruin 
half  of  us.  What  of  my  crockery.''  I  sell  it  all  in 
England.  Believe  me,  young  gentleman,  war  exists 
only  in  the  brains  of  your  sensational  novelists.  It 
does  not  come  into  the  world  of  real  purpose." 
-  "  Well,  it's  very  interesting  to  hear  you  say  so," 
Norgate  admitted.  "  I  wish  I  could  wholly  agree 
with  you." 

Herr  Selingman  caught  him  by  the  sleeve. 

"  You  are  just  a  little,"  he  confided,  "  just  a  little 
suspicious,  my  young  friend,  you  in  your  little  island. 
Perhaps  it  is  because  you  live  upon  an  island.  You 
do  not  expand.  You  have  small  thoughts.  You 
are  not  great  like  we  in  Germany,  not  broad,  not  deep. 
But  we  will  talk  later  of  these  things.  I  must  tell 
you  about  our  Kaiser." 

Norgate  opened  his  lips  and  closed  them  again. 

"  Presently,"  he  muttered.     "  See  you  later  on." 

He  strolled  to  his  coupe,  tried  in  vain  to  read, 
walked  up  and  down  the  length  of  the  train,  smoked 
a  cigarette,  and  returned  to  his  compartment  to  find 
Herr  Selingman  immersed  in  the  study  of  many 
documents. 

"  Records  of  my  customers  and  my  transactions," 
the  latter  announced  blandly.  "  I  have  a  great  fond- 
ness for  detail.  I  know  everything.  I  carry  with 
me  particulars  of  everything.  That  is  where  we 
Germans  are  so  thorough.  See,  I  place  them  now  all 
in  my  bag." 

He  did  so  and  locked  it  with  great  care. 

"  We  go  to  dinner,  is  it  not  so .''  "  he  suggested. 


28  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  suppose  we  may  as  well,"  Norgate  assented 
indifferently. 

They  found  places  in  the  crowded  restaurant  car. 
The  manufacturer  of  crockery  made  a  highly  satis- 
factory and  important  meal.  Norgate,  on  the  other 
hand,  ate  little.     Herr  Selingman  shook  his  head. 

"  My  young  English  friend,"  he  declared,  "  all  is 
not  well  with  you  that  you  turn  away  from  good 
food.  Come.  Afterwards,  over  a  cigar,  you  shall 
tell  me  what  troubles  you  have,  and  I  will  give  you 
sound  advice.  I  have  a  very  wide  knowledge  of  life. 
I  have  a  way  of  seeing  the  truth,  and  I  like  to  help 
people." 

Norgate  shook  his  head.  "  I  am  afraid,"  he  said, 
*'  that  my  case  is  hopeless." 

"  Presently  we  will  see,"  Herr  Selingman  con- 
tinued, rubbing  the  window  with  his  cufF.  "  We  are 
arrived,  I  think,  at  Lesel.  Here  will  board  the  train 
one  of  my  agents.  He  will  travel  with  us  to  the 
next  station.  It  is  my  way  of  doing  business,  this. 
It  is  better  than  alighting  and  wasting  a  day  in  a 
small  town.  You  will  not  mind,  perhaps,"  he  added, 
*'  if  I  bring  him  into  the  carriage  and  talk .''  You  do 
not  understand  German,  so  it  will  not  weary  you." 

"  Certainly  not,"  Norgate  replied.  "  I  shall  prob- 
ably drop  off  to  sleep." 

"  He  will  be  in  the  train  for  less  than  an  hour," 
Herr  Selingman  explained,  "  but  I  have  many  com- 
petitors, and  I  like  to  talk  in  private.  In  here  some 
one  might  overhear." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  I  am  not  an  English 
crockery  manufacturer?  "  Norgate  remarked. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  2^ 

Herr  Selingman  laughed  heartily.  His  stomach 
shook,  and  tears  rolled  down  his  eyet. 

"  That  is  good !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  An  English 
crockery  manufacturer !  No,  I  do  not  think  so !  I 
cannot  see  you  with  your  sleeves  turned  up,  walking 
amongst  the  kilns.  I  cannot  see  you,  even,  study- 
ing the  designs  for  pots  and  basins." 

"  Well,  bring  your  man  in  whenever  you  want  to,"^ 
Norgate  invited,  as  he  turned  away.  "  I  can 
promise,  at  least,  that  I  shall  not  understand  what 
you  are  saying,  and  that  I  won't  sneak  your  designs." 

There  was  a  queer  little  smUe  on  Herr  Selingman' s- 
broad  face.     It  almost  seemed  as  though  he  had  dis- 
covered some  hidden  though  unsuspected  meaning  in 
the  other's  words.      ^ 
> 


CHAPTER  IV 

Norgate  dozed  fitfully  as  the  train  sped  on  through 
ihe  darkness.  He  woke  once  to  find  Herr  Selingman 
in  close  confabulation  with  his  agent  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  compartment.  They  had  a  notebook  be- 
fore them  and  several  papers  spread  out  upon  the 
seat.  Norgate,  who  was  really  weary,  closed  his 
eyes  again,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  dreamed  for 
a  few  moments.  Then  suddenly  he  found  himself 
wide-awake.  Although  he  remained  motionless,  the 
words  which  Selingman  had  spoken  to  his  companion 
were  throbbing  in  his  ears. 

"  I  do  not  doubt  your  industry,  Meyer,  but  it  is 
jouT  discretion  which  is  sometimes  at  fault.  These 
plans  of  the  forts  of  Liege  —  they  might  as  well  be 
published  in  a  magazine.  We  had  them  when  they 
were  made.  We  have  received  copies  of  every  altera- 
tion. We  know  to  a  metre  how  far  the  guns  will 
carry,  how  many  men  are  required  to  man  them,  what 
stocks  of  ammunition  are  close  at  hand.  Under- 
stand, therefore,  my  friend,  that  the  sight  of  these 
carefully  traced  plans,  which  you  hint  to  have  ob- 
tained at  the  risk  of  your  life,  excites  me  not  at  all." 

The  other  man's  reply  was  inaudible.  In  a  mo- 
ment or  two  Selingman  spoke  again. 

"  The  information  which  I  am  lacking  just  at  pres- 
ent in  your  sphere  of  operations,  is  civilian  in  charac- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  31 

ter.  Take  Ghent,  for  instance.  What  I  should  like 
here,  what  our  records  need  at  present,  is  a  list  of  the 
principal  inhabitants  with  their  approximate  income, 
and,  summarising  it  all,  the  rateable  value  of  the  city. 
With  these  bases  it  would  be  easy  to  fix  a  reasonable 
indemnity." 

Norgate  was  wide-awake  now.  He  was  curled  up 
on  his  seat,  underneath  his  rug,  and  though  his  eye- 
lids had  quivered  with  a  momentary  excitement,  he 
was  careful  to  remain  as  near  as  possible  motionless. 
Again  Selingman's  agent  spoke,  this  time  more  dis- 
tinctly. 

"  The  young  man  opposite,"  he  whispered.  "  He 
is  English,  surely?  " 

"  He  is  English  indeed,"  Selingman  admitted,  "  but 
he  speaks  no  German.  That  I  have  ascertained. 
Give  me  your  best  attention,  Meyer.  Here  is  again 
an  important  commission  for  you.  Within  the  next 
few  days,  hire  an  automobile  and  visit  the  rising 
country  eastwards  from  Antwerp.  At  some  spot 
between  six  and  eight  miles  from  the  city,  on  a  slight 
incline  and  commanding  the  River  Scheldt,  we  desire 
to  purchase  an  acre  of  land  for  the  erection  of  a 
factory.  You  can  say  that  we  have  purchased  the 
concession  for  making  an  American  safety  razor. 
The  land  is  wanted,  and  urgently.  See  to  this  your- 
self and  send  plans  and  price  to  me  in  London.  On 
my  return  I  shall  call  and  inspect  the  sites  and  close 
the  bargain." 

"  And  the  Antwerp  forts  ?  " 

The  other  pursed  his  lips. 

"  Pooh !     Was  it  not  the  glorious  firm  of  Krupp 


32  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

who  fitted  the  guns  there?  Do  you  think  the  men 
who  undertook  that  task  were  idle?  I  tell  you  that 
our  plans  of  the  Antwerp  fortifications  are  more 
carefully  worked  out  in  detail  than  the  plans  held  by 
the  Belgians  themselves.  Here  is  good  work  for  you 
to  do,  friend  Meyer.  That  and  the  particulars  from 
Brussels  which  you  know  of,  will  keep  you  busy  until 
we  meet  again." 

Herr  Selingman  began  to  collect  his  papers,  but 
was  suddenly  thrown  back  into  his  seat  by  the  rock- 
ing of  the  train,  which  came,  a  few  moments  later,  to 
a  standstill.  The  sound  of  the  opening  of  windows 
from  the  other  side  of  the  corridor  was  heard  all  down 
the  train.  Selingman  and  his  companion  followed 
the  general  example,  opening  the  door  of  the  carriage 
and  the  window  opposite.  A  draught  blew  through 
the  compartment.  One  of  the  small  folded  slips  of 
paper  from  Selingman's  pocket-book  fluttered  along 
the  seat.  It  came  within  reach  of  Norgate.  Cau- 
tiously he  stretched  out  his  fingers  and  gripped  it. 
In  a  moment  it  was  in  his  pocket.  He  sat  up  in  his 
place.     Selingman  had  turned  around. 

"  Anything  the  matter?  "  Norgate  asked  sleepily. 

"  Not  that  one  can  gather,"  Selingman  replied. 
*'  You  have  slept  well.  I  am  glad  that  our  conversa- 
tion has  not  disturbed  you.  This  is  my  agent  from 
Brussels  —  Mr.  Meyer.  He  sells  our  crockery  in 
that  city  —  not  so  much  as  he  should  sell,  perhaps, 
but  still  he  does  his  best." 

Mr.  Meyer  was  a  dark  little  man  who  wore  gold- 
rimmed  spectacles,  neat  clothes,  and  a  timid  smile. 
Norgate  nodded  to  him  good-humouredly. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  33 

"  You  should  get  Herr  Selingman  to  come  oftener 
and  help  you,"  he  remarked,  yawning.  "  I  can 
imagine  that  he  would  be  able  to  sell  anything  he 
tried  to." 

"  It  is  what  I  often  tell  him,  sir,"  Mr.  Meyer  re- 
plied, "  but  he  is  too  fond  of  the  English  trade." 

"  English  money  is  no  better  than  Belgian,"  Herr 
Selingman  declared,  "  but  there  is  more  of  it.  Let  us 
go  round  to  the  restaurant  car  and  drink  a  bottle  of 
wine  together  while  the  beds  are  prepared." 

"  Certainly,"  Norgate  assented,  stretching  him- 
self. "  By-the-by,  you  had  better  look  after  your 
papers  there,  Herr  Selingman.  Just  as  I  woke  up 
I  saw  a  small  slip  fluttering  along  the  seat.  You 
made  a  most  infernal  draught  by  opening  that  door, 
and  I  almost  fancy  it  went  out  of  the  window." 

Herr  Selingman's  face  became  suddenly  grave. 
He  went  through  the  papers  one  by  one,  and  finally 
locked  them  up  in  his  bag. 

"  Nothing  missing,  I  hope  ?  "  Norgate  asked. 

Herr  Selingman's  face  was  troubled. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  he  said.  "  It  is  my  belief  that  I 
had  with  me  here  a  list  of  my  agents  in  England.  I 
cannot  find  it.  In  a  sense  it  is  unimportant,  yet  if  a 
rival  firm  should  obtain  possession  of  it,  there  might 
be  trouble." 

Norgate  looked  out  into  the  night  and  smiled. 

"  Considering  that  it  is  blowing  half  a  hurricane 
and  commencing  to  rain,"  he  remarked,  "  the  slip  of 
paper  which  I  saw  blowing  about  will  be  of  no  use 
to  any  one  when  it  is  picked  up." 

They  called  the  attendant  and  ordered  him  to  pre- 


34  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

pare  the  sleeping  berths.  Then  they  made  their  way 
down  to  the  buffet  car,  and  Herr  Selingman  ordered 
a  bottle  of  wine. 

"  We  will  drink,"  he  proposed,  "  to  our  three 
countries.  In  our  way  we  represent,  I  think,  the  in- 
dustrial forces  of  the  world  —  Belgium,  England, 
and  Germany.  We  are  the  three  countries  who  stand 
for  commerce  and  peace.  We  will  drink  prosperity 
to  ourselves  and  to  each  other." 

Norgate  threw  off,  with  apparent  effort,  his  sleepi- 
ness. 

"  What  you  have  said  about  our  three  countries  is 
very  true,"  he  remarked.  "  Perhaps  as  you,  Mr. 
Meyer,  are  a  Belgian,  and  you,  Mr.  Selingman,  know 
Belgium  well  and  have  connections  with  it,  you  can 
tell  me  one  thing  which  has  always  puzzled  me.  Why 
is  it  that  Belgium,  which  is,  as  you  say,  a  commercial 
and  peace-loving  country,  whose  neutrality  is  abso- 
lutely guaranteed  by  three  of  the  greatest  Powers  in 
Europe,  should  find  it  necessary  to  have  spent  such 
large  sums  upon  fortifications  ?  " 

"  In  which  direction  do  you  mean? "  Selingman 
asked,  his  eyes  narrowing  a  little  as  he  looked  across 
at  Norgate. 

"  The  forts  of  Liege  and  Namur,"  Norgate  re- 
plied, "  and  Antwerp.  I  know  nothing  more  about 
it  than  I  gathered  from  an  article  which  I  read  not 
long  ago  in  a  magazine.  I  had  always  looked  upon 
Belgium  as  being  outside  the  pale  of  possible  war- 
fare, yet  according  to  this  article  it  seems  to  be 
bristling  to  the  teeth  with  armaments." 

Herr  Selingman  cleared  his  throat. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  35 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  reason,"  he  said.  "  You  have 
come  to  the  right  man  to  know.  I  am  a  civilian,  but 
there  are  few  things  in  connection  with  my  country 
which  I  do  not  understand.  Mr.  Meyer  here,  who  is 
a  citizen  of  Brussels,  will  bear  me  out.  It  is  the  book 
of  a  clever,  intelligent,  but  misguided  German  writer 
which  has  been  responsible  for  Belgium's  unrest  — 
Bemhardi's  Germany  and  the  Next  War  —  that  and 
articles  of  a  similar  tenor  which  preceded  it." 

"  Never  read  any  of  them,"  Norgate  remarked. 

"  It  was  erroneously  supposed,"  Selingman  con- 
tinued, "  that  Bernhardi  represented  the  dominant 
military  opinion  of  Germany  when  he  wrote  that  if 
Germany  ever  again  invgided  France,  it  would  be, 
notwithstanding  her  guarantees  of  neutrality, 
through  Belgium.  Bernhardi  was  a  clever  writer, 
but  he  was  a  soldier,  and  soldiers  do  not  understand 
the  world  policy  of  a  great  nation  such  as  Germany. 
Germany  will  make  no  war  upon  any  one,  save  com- 
mercially. She  will  never  again  invade  France  ex- 
cept under  the  bitterest  provocation,  and  if  ever  she 
should  be  driven  to  defend  herself,  it  will  assuredly 
not  be  at  the  expense  of  her  broken  pledges.  The 
forts  of  Belgium  might  just  as  well  be  converted  into 
apple-orchards.  They  stand  there  to-day  as  the 
proof  of  a  certain  lack  of  faith  in  Germany  on  the 
part  of  Belgium,  ministered  to  by  that  King  of  the 
Jingoes,  as  you  would  say  in  English,  Bernhardi. 
How  often  it  is  that  a  nation  suffers  most  from  her 
own  patriots ! " 

"  Herr  Selingman  has  expressed  the  situation  ad- 
mirably," Mr.  Meyer  declared  approvingly. 


36  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Very  interesting,  I'm  sure,"  Norgate  murmured. 
"  There  is  one  thing  about  you  foreigners,"  he  added, 
with  an  envious  sigh.  "  The  way  you  all  speak  the 
languages  of  other  countries  is  wonderful.  Are  you 
a  Belgian,  Mr.  Meyer?  " 

"  Half  Belgian  and  half  French." 

"  But  you  speak  English  almost  without  accent," 
Norgate  remarked. 

"  In  commerce,"  Herr  Selingman  insisted,  "  that- 
is  necessary.     All  my  agents  speak  four  languages." 

"  You  deserve  to  capture  our  trade,"  Norgate 
sighed. 

"  To  a  certain  extent,  my  young  friend,"  Selingman 
declared,  "  we  mean  to  do  it.  We  are  doing  it.  And 
yet  there  is  enough  for  us  both.  There  is  trade 
enough  for  your  millions  and  for  mine.  So  long  as 
Germany  and  England  remain  friends,  they  can 
divide  the  commerce  of  the  world  between  them.  It 
is  our  greatest  happiness,  we  who  have  a  business  rely- 
ing upon  the  good-will  of  the  two  nations,  to  think 
that  year  by  year  the  clouds  of  discord  are  rolling 
away  from  between  us.  Young  sir,  as  a  German 
citizen,  I  will  drink  a  toast  with  you,  an  English  one. 
I  drink  to  everlasting  peace  betweeit  my  country  and 
yours !  " 

Norgate  drained  his  glass.  Selingman  threw  back 
his  head  as  he  followed  suit,  and  smacked  his  lips 
appreciatively. 

"  And  now,"  the  former  remarked,  rising  to  his 
feet,  "  I  think  I'll  go  and  turn  in.  I  dare  say  you 
two  still  have  some  business  to  talk  about,  especially 
if  Mr.  Meyer  is  leaving  us  shortly." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  37 

Norgate  made  liis  way  back  to  his  compartment, 
undressed  leisurely  and  climbed  into  the  upper  bunk. 
For  an  hour  or  two  he  indulged  in  the  fitful  slumber 
usually  engendered  by  night  travelling.  At  the 
frontier  he  sat  up  and  answered  the  stereotyped 
questions.  Herr  Selingman,  in  sky-blue  pyjamas, 
and  with  face  looking  more  beaming  and  florid  than 
ever,  poked  his  head  cheerfully  out  of  the  lower  bunk. 

"  Awake  .f"  "  he  enquired. 

"  Very  much  so,"  Norgate  yawned. 

"  I  have  a  surprise,"  Herr  Selingman  announced. 
«  Wait." 

Almost  as  he  spoke,  an  attendant  arrived  from  the 
buffet  car  with  some  soda-water.  Herr  Selingman's 
head  vanished  for  a  moment  or  two.  When  he  re- 
appeared, he  held  two  glasses  in  his  hand. 

"  A  whisky  soda  made  in  real  English  fashion,"  he 
proclaimed  triumphantly.  "  A  good  nightcap,  is  it 
not.f^     Now  we  are  off  again." 

Norgate  held  out  his  hand  for  the  tumbler. 

"  Awfully  good  of  you,"  he  murmured. 

"  I  myself,"  Selingman  continued,  seated  on  the 
edge  of  the  bunk,  with  his  legs  far  apart  to  steady 
himself,  "I  myself  enjoy  a  whisky  soda.  It  will  be 
indeed  a  nightcap,  so  here  goes." 

He  drained  his  glass  and  set  it  down.  Norgate 
followed  suit.  Selingman's  hand  came  up  for  the 
tumbler  and  Norgate  was  conscious  of  a  curious 
mixture  of  sensations  which  he  had  once  experienced 
before  in  the  dentist's  chair.  He  could  see  Selingman 
distinctly,  and  he  fancied  that  he  was  watching  him 
closely,  but  the  rest  of  the  carriage  had  become  chaos. 


38  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

The  sound  of  the  locomotive  was  beating  hard  upon 
the  drums  of  his  ears.     His  head  fell  back. 

It  was  broad  daylight  when  he  awoke.  Selingman, 
fully  dressed  and  looking  more  beaming  than  ever, 
was  seated  upon  a  ridiculously  inadequate  camp- 
stool  upon  the  floor,  smoking  a  cigarette.  Norgate 
stared  at  him  stupidly. 

"  My  young  friend,"  Herr  Selingman  declared  im- 
pressively, "  if  there  is  one  thing  in  the  world  I  envy 
you,  it  is  that  capacity  for  sleep.  You  all  have  it, 
you  English.  Your  heads  touch  the  pillow,  and  off 
you  go.  Do  you  know  that  the  man  is  waiting  for 
you  to  take  your  coffee  ?  " 

Norgate  lay  quite  still  for  several  moments.  Be- 
yond a  slight  headache,  he  was  feeling  as  usual.  He 
leaned  over  the  side  of  the  bunk. 

"  How  many  whiskies  and  soda  did  I  have  last 
night?  "  he  asked. 

Herr  Selingman  smiled. 

"  But  one  only,"  he  announced.  "  There  was  only 
one  to  be  had.  I  found  a  little  whisky  in  my  flask. 
I  remembered  that  I  had  an  English  travelling  com- 
panion, and  I  sent  for  some  soda-water.  You  drank 
yours,  and  you  did  sleep.  I  go  now  and  sit  in  the 
corridor  while  you  dress." 

Norgate  swung  round  in  his  bunk  and  slipped  to 
the  floor. 

"  Jolly  good  of  you,"  he  muttered  sleepily,  "  but 
it  was  very  strong  whisky." 


CHAPTER  V 

There  was  a  babel  of  voices  as  the  long  train  came 
to  a  stand-still  in  the  harbour  station  at  Ostend. 
Selingman,  with  characteristic  forcefulness,  pushed 
his  way  down  the  narrow  corridor,  driving  before  him 
passengers  of  less  weight  and  pertinacity,  until  finally 
he  descended  on  to  the  platform  itself.  Norgate, 
who  had  followed  meekly  in  his  wake,  stood  listening 
for  a  moment  to  the  confused  stream  of  explanations. 
He  understood  well  enough  what  had  happened,  but 
with  Selingman  at  his  elbow  he  assumed  an  air  of 
non-comprehension. 

"  It  is  extraordinary ! "  the  latter  exclaimed. 
*'  Never  do  I  choose  this  route  but  I  am  visited  with 
some  mishap.     You  hear  what  has  happened.''  " 

"  Fellow's  trying  to  tell  me,"  Norgate  replied, 
*'  but  his  Flemish  is  worse  to  understand  than  Ger- 
man." 

"  The  steamer,"  Selingman  announced,  "  has  met 
with  an  accident  entering  the  harbour.  There  will 
be  a  delay  of  at  least  six  hours  —  possibly  more.  It 
is  most  annoying.  My  appointments  in  London  have 
been  fixed  for  days." 

"  Bad  luck !  "  Norgate  murmured. 

"  You  do  not  seem  much  distressed." 

"Why  should  I  be.-*     I  really  came  this  way  be- 


40  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

cause  I  was  not  sure  whether  I  would  not  stay  here 
for  a  few  days." 

"  That  is  all  very  well  for  you,"  Selingman  de- 
clared, as  they  followed  their  porters  into  the  shed. 
**  For  me,  I  am  a  man  of  affairs.  It  is  different. 
My  business  goes  by  clockwork.  All  is  regulated  by 
rule,  with  precision,  with  punctuality.  Now  I  shall 
be  many  hours  behind  my  schedule.  I  shall  be  com- 
pelled to  alter  my  appointments  —  I,  who  pride  my- 
self always  upon  altering  nothing.  But  behold! 
One  must  make  the  best  of  things.  What  a  sunshine ! 
What  a  sea!  We  shall  meet,  without  a  doubt,  upon 
the  Plage.  I  have  friends  here.  I  must  seek  them. 
Au  revoir,  my  young  travelling  companion.  To  the 
good  fortune ! " 

They  drifted  apart,  and  Norgate,  having  made 
arrangements  about  his  luggage,  strolled  through  the 
town  and  on  to  the  promenade.  It  was  early  for  the 
full  season  at  Ostend,  but  the  sands  were  already 
crowded  with  an  immense  throng  of  children  and 
holiday-makers.  The  hotels  were  all  open,  and 
streams  of  people  were  passing  back  and  forth  along 
the  front.  Norgate,  who  had  no  wish  to  meet 
acquaintances,  passed  the  first  period  of  his  enforced 
wait  a  little  wearily.  He  took  a  taxicab  and  drove 
as  far  as  Knocke.  Here  he  strolled  across  the  links 
and  threw  himself  down  finally  amongst  a  little  wave 
of  sandy  hillocks  close  to  the  sea.  The  silence,  and 
some  remains  of  the  sleepiness  of  the  previous  night, 
soon  began  to  have  their  natural  effect.  He  closed 
his  eyes  and  began  to  doze.  When  he  awoke,  curi- 
ously enough,  it  was  a  familiar  voice  which  first  fell 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  41 

upon  his  ears.  He  turned  his  head  cautiously. 
Seated  not  a  dozen  yards  away  from  him  was  a  tall, 
thin  man  with  a  bag  of  golf  clubs  by  his  side.  He 
was  listening  with  an  air  of  engrossed  attention  to 
his  companion's  impressive  remarks.  Norgate,  rais- 
ing himself  upon  his  elbow,  no  longer  had  any  doubts. 
The  man  stretched  upon  his  back  on  the  sand,  partly 
hidden  from  sight  by  a  little  grass-grown  undulation, 
was  his  late  travelling  companion. 

"  You  do  well,  my  dear  Marquis,  believe  me ! "  the 
latter  exclaimed.  "  Property  in  Belgium  is  valuable 
to-day.  Take  my  advice.  Sell.  There  are  so 
many  places  where  one  may  live,  where  the  climate  is 
better  for  a  man  of  your  constitution." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,"  his  companion  replied 
querulously,  "  but  remember  that.  Belgium,  after  all, 
is  my  country.  My  chateau  and  estates  came  to  me 
by  inheritance.  Notwithstanding  the  frequent  inter- 
marriages of  my  family  with  the  aristocracy  of  your 
country,  I  am  still  a  Belgian," 

"  Ah !  but,  my  dear  friend,"  Selingman  protested, 
"  you  are  more  than  a  Belgian,  more  than  a  man  of 
local  nationality.  You  are  a  citizen  of  the  world  of 
intelligence.  You  are  able  to  see  the  truth.  The 
days  are  coming  when  small  states  may  exist  no 
longer  without  the  all-protecting  arm  of  a  more  pow- 
erful country.  I  say  no  more  than  this.  The  posi- 
tion of  Belgium  is  artificial.  Of  her  own  will,  or  of 
necessity,  she  must  soon  become  merged  in  the  on- 
ward flow  of  mightier  nations." 

"What  about  Holland,  then?" 

"  Holland,  too,"  Selingman  continued,  "  knows  the 


42  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

truth.  She  knows  very  well  that  the  limit  of  her 
days  as  an  independent  kingdom  is  almost  reached. 
The  Power  which  has  absorbed  the  states  of  Prussia 
into  one  mighty  empire,  pauses  only  to  take  breath. 
There  are  many  signs  — " 

"  But,  my  worthy  friend,"  the  other  man  inter- 
rupted irritably,  "  you  must  take  into  consideration 
the  fact  that  Belgium  is  in  a  different  position.  Our 
existence  as  a  separate  kingdom  might  certainly  be 
threatened  by  Germany,  but  all  that  has  been  fore- 
seen. Our  neutrality  is  guaranteed.  Your  country 
has  pledged  its  honour  to  maintain  it,  side  by  side 
with  France  and  England.  What  have  we  to  fear, 
then?  " 

"  You  have  to  fear,  Marquis,"  Selingman  replied 
ponderously,  "  the  inevitable  laws  which  direct  the 
progress  of  nations.  Treaties  solemnly  subscribed  to 
in  one  generation  become  worthless  as  time  passes 
and  conditions  change." 

"  But  I  do  not  understand  you  there ! "  the  other 
man  exclaimed.  "  What  you  say  sounds  to  me  like  a 
reflection  upon  the  honour  of  your  country.  Do  you 
mean  to  insinuate  that  she  would  possibly  —  that  she 
would  ever  for  a  moment  contemplate  breaking  her 
pledged  and  sealed  word?  " 

"  My  friend,"  Selingman  pronounced  drily,  "  the 
path  of  honour  and  glory,  the  onward  progress  of  a 
mighty,  struggling  nation,  carrying  in  its  hand  cul- 
ture and  civilisation,  might  demand  even  such  a  sacri- 
fice. Germany  recognises,  is  profoundly  imbued  with 
the  splendour  of  her  own  ideals,  the  matchlessness 
of  her  own  culture.     She  feels  justified  in  spreading 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  43 

herself  out  wherever  she  can  find  an  outlet  —  at  any 
cost,  mind,  because  the  end  must  be  good." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  Then  the  tall  man 
stood  upright. 

**  If  you  came  out  to  find  me,  my  friend  Selingman, 
to  bring  me  this  warning,  I  suppose  I  should  consider 
myself  your  debtor.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  do  not. 
You  have  inspired  me  with  nameless  misgivings. 
Your  voice  sounds  in  my  ears  like  the  voice  of  an 
ugly  fate.  I  am,  as  you  have  often  reminded  me, 
half  German,  and  I  have  shown  my  friendship  for 
Germany  many  times.  Unlike  most  of  the  aristoc- 
racy of  my  country,  I  look  more  often  northwards 
than  towards  the  south.  But  I  tell  you  frankly  that 
there  are  limits  to  my  Germanism.  I  will  play  no 
more  golf.     I  will  walk  with  you  to  the  club-house." 

"  All  that  I  have  to  say,"  Selingman  went  on,  "  is 
not  yet  said.  This  opportunity  of  meeting  you  is 
too  precious  to  be  wasted.  Come.  As  we  walk  there 
.  are  certain  questions  I  wish  to  put  to  you." 

They  passed  within  a  few  feet  of  where  Norgate 
was  lying.  He  closed  his  eyes  and  held  his  breath. 
It  was  not  until  their  figures  were  almost  specks  in 
the  distance  that  he  rose  cautiously  to  his  feet.  He 
made  his  way  back  to  the  club-house  by  another 
angle,  gained  his  taxicab  unobserved,  and  drove  back 
to  Ostend. 

Towards  evening  Norgate  strolled  into  one  of  the 
cosmopolitan  bars  at  the  back  of  the  Casino.  The 
first  person  he  saw  as  he  handed  over  his  hat  to  a 
waiter,  was  Selingman,  spread  out  upon  a  cushioned 


44  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

seat  with  a  young  lady  upon  either  side  of  him.  He 
at  once  summoned  Norgate  to  his  table. 

"  An  aperitif,"  he  insisted.  "  Come,  you  must  not 
refuse  me.  In  two  hours  we  start.  We  tear  our- 
selves away  from  this  wonderful  atmosphere.  In 
atmosphere,  mademoiselle,"  he  added,  bowing  to  the 
right  and  the  left,  "  all  is  included." 

"  It  is  not,"  Norgate  admitted,  "  an  invitation  to 
be  disregarded.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  already 
an  appetite." 

Selingman  thundered  out  an  order. 

"  Here,"  he  remarked,  "  we  dwell  for  a  few  brief 
moments  in  Bohemia.  I  do  not  introduce  you.  You 
sit  down  and  join  us.  You  are  one  of  us.  That  you 
speak  only  English  counts  for  nothing.  Mademoi- 
selle Alice  here  is  American.  Now  tell  us  at  once,, 
how  have  you  spent  this  afternoon?  You  have 
bathed,  perhaps,  or  walked  upon  the  sands  ?  " 

Norgate  was  on  the  point  of  speaking  of  his  ex- 
cursion to  Knocke  but  was  conscious  of  Selingman's 
curiously  intent  gaze.  The  spirit  of  duplicity  seemed 
to  grow  upon  him. 

"  I  walked  for  a  little  way,"  he  said.  "  After- 
wards I  lay  upon  the  sands  and  slept.  When  I  found 
that  the  steamer  was  still  further  delayed,  I  had  a 
bath.  That  was  half  an  hour  ago.  I  asked  a  man 
whom  I  met  on  the  promenade  where  one  might  dine 
in  travelling  clothes,  lightly  but  well,  and  he  sent  me 
here  —  the  Bar  de  Londres  —  and  here,  for  my  good 
fortune,  I  am." 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  monsieur  does  not  speak 
French,"  one  of  Selingman's  companions  murmured. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  45 

"  But,  mademoiselle,"  Norgate  protested,  "  I  have 
spoken  French  all  my  life.  Herr  Selingman  here 
has  misunderstood  me.  It  is  German  of  which  I  am 
ignorant." 

The  young  lady,  who  immediately  introduced  her- 
self as  Mademoiselle  Henriette,  passed  her  arm 
through  Selingman's. 

"  We  dine  here  all  together,  my  friend,  is  it  not 
so  ?  "  she  begged.  "  He  will  not  be  in  the  way,  and 
for  myself,  I  am  triste.  You  talk  all  the  time  to 
Mademoiselle  I'Americaine,  perhaps  because  she  is 
the  friend  of  some  one  in  whom  you  are  interested. 
But  for  me,  it  is  dull.  Monsieur  1' Anglais  shall  talk 
with  me,  and  you  may  hear  all  the  secrets  that  Alice 
has  to  tell.  We,"  she  murmured,  looking  up  at 
Norgate,  "  will  speak  of  other  things,  is  it  not 
so.?" 

For  a  moment  Selingman  hesitated.  Norgate 
would  have  moved  on  with  a  little  farewell  nod,  but 
Selingman's  companions  were  insistent. 

"  It  shall  be  a  partie  carree"  they  both  declared, 
almost  in  unison. 

"  You  need  have  no  fear,"  Mademoiselle  Henriette 
continued.  "  I  will  talk  all  the  time  to  monsieur. 
He  shall  tell  nie  his  name,  and  we  shall  be  very  great 
friends.  I  am  not  interested  in.  the  things  of  which 
they  talk,  those  others.  You  shall  tell  me  of  Lon- 
don, monsieur,  and  how  you  live  there." 

"  Join  us,  by  all  means,"  Selingman  invited. 

"  On  condition  that  you  dine  with  me,"  Norgate 
insisted,  as  he  took  up  the  menu. 

"  Impossible !  "  Selingman  declared  firmly. 


46  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Oh !  it  matters  nothing,"  Mademoiselle  Henriette 
exclaimed,  "  so  long  as  we  dine." 

"  So  long,"  Mademoiselle  Alice  intervened,  "  as  we 
have  this  brief  glimpse  of  Mr.  Selingman,  let  us  make 
the  best  of  it.  We  see  him  only  because  of  a  con- 
tretemps. I  think  we  must  be  very  nice  to  him  and 
persuade  him  to  take  us  to  London  to-night." 

Selingman's  shake  of  the  head  was  final. 

"  Dear  young  ladies,"  he  said,  *'  it  was  delightful 
to  find  you  here.  I  came  upon  the  chance,  I  admit, 
but  who  in  O^tend  would  not  be  here  between  six  and 
eight.?  We  dine,  we  walk  down  to  the  quay,  and  if 
you  will,  you  shall  wave  your  hands  and  wish  us  hon 
voyage,  but  London  just  now  is  triste.  It  is  here 
you  may  live  the  life  the  hon  Dieiu  sends,  where  the 
sun  shines  all  the  time  and  the  sea  laps  the  sands  like 
a  great  blue  lake,  and  you,  mademoiselle,  can  wear 
those  wonderful  costumes  and  charm  all  hearts. 
There  is  nothing  like  that  for  you  in  London." 

They  ordered  dinner  and  walked  afterwards  down 
to  the  quay.  Mademoiselle  Henriette  lingered  behind 
with  Norgate. 

"  Let  them  go  on,"  she  whispered.  "  They  have 
much  to  talk  about.  It  is  but  a  short  distance,  and 
your  steamer  will  not  start  before  ten.  We  can 
walk  slowly  and  listen  to  the  music.  You  are  not  in 
a  huury,  monsieur,  to  depart.?  Your  stay  here  is 
too  short  already." 

Norgate's  reply,  although  gallant  enough,  was  a 
little  vague.  He  was  watching  Selingman  with  his 
companion.  They  were  talking  together  with  un- 
doubted seriousness. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  47 

"  Who  is  Mr.  Selingman?  "  he  enquired.  "  I  know 
him  only  as  a  travelling  companion." 

Mademoiselle  Henriette  extended  her  hands.  She 
shrugged  her  little  shoulders  and  looked  with  wide- 
open  eyes  up  into  her  companion's  grave  face. 

,"  But  who,  indeed,  can  answer  that  question  ?  "  she 
exclaimed.  **  Twice  he  has  been  here  for  flying  visits. 
Once  Alice  has  been  to  see  him  in  Berlin.  He  is,  I 
believe,  a  very  wealthy  manufacturer  there.  He 
crosses  often  to  England.  He  has  mone}',  and  he  is 
always  gay." 

"  And  Mademoiselle  Alice?  " 

"  Who  knows  ?  "  was  the  somewhat  pointless  reply. 
"  She  came  from  America.  She  arrived  here  this 
season  with  Monsieur  le  General." 

"What  General?"  Norgate  asked.  "A  Bel- 
gian ?  " 

"  But  no,"  his  companion  corrected.  "  All  the 
world  knows  that  Alice  is  the  friend  of  General  le 
Foys,  chief  of  the  staffs  in  Paris.  He  is  a  very  great 
soldier.  He  spends  eleven  months  working  and  one 
month  here." 

"  And  she  is  also,"  Norgate  observed  meditatively, 
*'  the  friend  of  Herr  Selingman.  Tell  me,  mademoi- 
selle, what  do  you  suppose  those  two  are  talking 
of  now?  See  how  close  their  heads  are  together. 
I  don't  think  that  Herr  Selingman  is  a  Don 
Juan." 

"  They  speak,  perhaps,  of  serious  matters,"  his 
companion  surmised,  "but  who  can  tell?  Besides, 
is  it  for  us  to  waste  our  few  moments  wondering? 
You  will  come  back  to  Ostend,  monsieur?  " 


48  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Norgate  looked  back  at  the  streaming  curve  of 
lights  flashing  across  the  dark  waters. 

"  One  never  knows,"  he  answered. 

"  That  is  what  Monsieur  Selingman  himself  says,'* 
she  remarked,  with  a  little  sigh.  "  '  Enjoy  your 
Ostend  to-day,  my  little  ones,'  he  said,  when  he  first 
met  us  this  evening.  *  One  never  knows  how  long 
these  days  will  last.'  So,  monsieur,  we  must  indeed 
part  here?  " 

They  had  all  come  to  a  standstill  at  the  gangway 
of  the  steamer.  Selingman  had  apparently  finished 
his  conversation  with  his  companion.  He  hurried 
Norgate  off,  and  they  waved  their  hands  from  the 
deck  as  a  few  minutes  later  the  steamer  glided  away. 

"  A  most  delightful  interlude,"  Selingman  declared. 
*'  I  have  thoroughly  enjoyed  these  few  hours.  I  trust 
that  every  time  this  steamer  meets  with  a  little  acci- 
dent, it  will  be  at  this  time  of  the  year  and  when  I  am 
on  my  way  to  England." 

"  You  seem  to  have  friends  everywhere,"  Norgate 
observed,  as  he  lit  a  cigar. 

"  Young  ladies,  yes,"  Selingman  admitted.  "  It 
chanced  that  they  were  both"  well-known  to  me.  But 
who  else?  " 

Norgate  made  no  reply.  He  felt  that  his  com- 
panion was  watching  him. 

"  It  is  something,"  he  remarked,  "  to  find  charming 
young  ladies  in  a  strange  place  to  dine  with  one." 

Selingman  smiled  broadly. 

"  If  we  travelled  together  often,  my  young  friend," 
he  said,  "  you  would  discover  that  I  have  friends 
everywhere.     If  I  have  nothing  else  to  do,  I  go  out 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  49 

and  make  a  friend.  Then,  when  I  revisit  that  place, 
it  loses  its  coldness.  There  is  some  one  there  to  wel- 
come me,  some  one  who  is  glad  to  see  me  again. 
Look  steadilj  in  that  direction,  a  few  points  to  the 
left  of  the  bows.  In  two  hours'  time  you  wUl  see  the 
lights  of  your  country.  I  have  friends  there,  too, 
who  will  welcome  me.  Meantime,  I  go  below  to  sleep. 
You  have  a  cabin  ?  " 

Norgate  shook  his  head. 

"  I  shall  doze  on  deck  for  a  little  time,"  he  said. 
'*  It  is  too  wonderful  a  night  to  go  below." 

"  It  is  well  for  me  that  it  is  calm,"  Selingman 
acknowledged.  "  I  do  not  love  the  sea.  Shall  we 
part  for  a  little  time.?  If  we  meet  not  at  Dover, 
then  in  London,  my  young  friend.  London  is  the 
greatest  city  in  the  world,  but  it  is  the  smallest  place 
in  Europe.  One  cannot  move  in  the  places  one  knows 
of  without  meeting  one's  friends." 

"  Until  we  meet  in  London,  then,"  Norgate  ob- 
served, as  he  settled  himself  down  in  his  chair. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Norgate  spent  an  utterly  fruitless  morning  on  the 
day  after  his  arrival  in  London.  After  a  lengthy 
but  entirely  unsatisfactory  visit  to  the  Foreign  Office, 
he  presented  himself  soon  after  midday  at  Scotland 
Yard. 

"  I  should  like,"  he  announced,  "  to  see  the  Chief 
Commissioner  of  the  Police." 

The  official  to  whom  he  addressed  his  enquiry  eyed 
him  tolerantly. 

"  Have  you,  by  any  chance,  an  appointment  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  None,"  Norgate  admitted.  "  I  only  arrived 
from  the  Continent  this  morning." 

The  policeman  shook  his  head  slowly. 

*'  It  is  quite  impossible,  sir,"  he  said,  "  to  see  Sir 
Philip  without  an  appointment.  Your  best  course 
would  be  to  write  and  state  your  business,  and  his 
secretary  will  then  fix  a  time  for  you  to  call." 

"  Very  much  obliged  to  you,  I'm  sure,"  Norgate 
replied.  "  However,  my  business  is  urgent,  and  if  I 
can't  see  Sir  Philip  Morse,  I  will  see  some  one  else  in 
authority." 

Norgate  was  regaled  with  a  copy  of  The  Times  and 
a  seat  in  a  barely-furnished  waiting-room.     In  about 
twenty  minutes  he  was  told  that  a  Mr.  Tyritt  would, 
see  him,  and  was  promptly  shown  into  the  presence 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  51 

of  that  gentleman.  Mr.  Tyritt  was  a  burly  and 
black-bearded  person  of  something  more  than  middle- 
age.  He  glanced  down  at  Norgate's  card  in  a  some- 
what puzzled  manner  and  motioned  him  to  a  seat. 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you,  sir.?  "  he  enquired.  "  Sir 
Philip  is  very  much  engaged  for  the  next  few  days, 
but  perhaps  you  can  tell  me  your  business .''  " 

"  I  have  just  arrived  from  Berlin,"  Norgate  ex- 
plained. "  Would  you  care  to  possess  a  complete 
list  of  German  spies  in  this  country.?  " 

Mr.  Tyritt's  face  was  not  one  capable  of  showing 
the  most  profound  emotion.  Nevertheless,  he  seemed 
a  little  taken  aback. 

"  A  list  of  German  spies  ?  "  he  repeated.  "  Dear 
me,  that  sounds  very  interesting ! " 

He  took  up  Norgate's  card  and  glanced  at  it. 
The  action  was,  in  its  way,  significant. 

"  You  probably  don't  know  who  I  am,"  Norgate 
continued.  "  I  have  been  in  the  Diplomatic  Service 
for  eight  years.  Until  a  few  days  ago,  I  was  at- 
tached to  the  Embassy  in  Berlin." 

Mr.  Tyritt  was  somewhat  impressed  by  the  state- 
ment. 

"  Have  you  any  objection  to  telling  me  how  you 
became  possessed  of  this  information.?  " 

"  None  whatever,"  was  the  prompt  reply.  *'  You 
shall  hear  the  whole  story." 

Norgate  told  him,  as  briefly  as  possible,  of  his 
meeting  with  Selingman,  their  conversation,  and  the 
subsequent  happenings,  including  the  interview  which 
he  had  overheard  on  the  golf  links  at  Knocke.  When 
he  had  finished,  there  was  a  brief  silence. 


52  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Sounds  rather  like  a  page  out  of  a  novel,  doesn't 
it,  Mr.  Norgate?  "  the  police  official  remarked  at 
last. 

"  It  may,"  Norgate  assented  drily.  "  I  can't  help 
what  it  sounds  like.  It  happens  to  be  the  exact 
truth." 

"  I  do  not  for  a  moment  doubt  it,"  the  other  de- 
clared politely.  "  I  believe,  indeed,  that  there  are  a 
large  number  of  Germans  working  in  this  country 
who  are  continually  collecting  and  forwarding  to 
Berlin  commercial  and  political  reports.  Speaking 
on  behalf  of  my  department,  however,  Mr.  Norgate," 
he  went  on,  "  this  is  briefly  our  position.  In  the 
neighbourhood  of  our  naval  bases,  our  dockyards,  our 
military  aeroplane  sheds,  and  in  other  directions 
which  I  need  not  specify,  we  keep  the  most  scrupulous 
and  exacting  watch.  We  even,  as  of  course  you  are 
aware,  employ  decoy  spies  ourselves,  who  work  in 
conjunction  with  our  friends  at  Whitehall.  Our 
system  is  a  rigorous  one  and  our  supervision  of  it  un- 
ceasing. But  —  and  this  is  a  big  '  but,'  Mr.  Nor- 
gate —  in  other  directions  —  so  far  as  regards  the 
country  generally,  that  is  to  say  —  we  do  not  take 
the  subject  of  German  spies  seriously.  I  may  almost 
say  that  we  have  no  anxiety  concerning  their  capac- 
ity for  mischief." 

*'  Those  are  the  views  of  your  department  ?  "  Nor- 
gate asked. 

"  So  far  as  I  may  be  said  to  represent  it,  they 
are,"  Mr.  Tyritt  assented.  "  I  will  venture  to  say 
that  there  are  many  thousands  of  letters  a  year  which 
leave  this  country,  addressed  to  Germany,  purport- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  53 

ing  to  contain  information  of  the  most  important 
nature,  which  might  just  as  well  be  published  in  the 
newspapers.  We  ought  to  know,  because  at  differ- 
ent times  we  have  opened  a  good  many  of  them." 

"  Forgive  me  if  I  press  this  point,"  Norgate 
begged.  "  Do  you  consider  that  because  a  vast 
amount  of  useless  information  is  naturally  sent,  that 
fact  lessens  the  danger  as  a  whole?  If  only  one  let- 
ter in  a  thousand  contains  vital  information,  isn't 
that  suflScient  to  raise  the  subject  to  a  more  serious 
level.?" 

Mr.  Tyritt  crossed  his  legs.  His  tone  still  indi- 
cated the  slight  tolerance  of  the  man  convinced  be- 
forehand of  the  soundness  of  his  position. 

"  For  the  last  twelve  years,"  he  announced, — 
**  ever  since  I  came  into  office,  in  fact, —  this  bogey 
of  German  spies  has  been  costing  the  nation  some- 
thing like  fifty  thousand  a  year.  It  is  only  lately 
that  we  have  come  to  take  that  broader  view  of  the 
situation  which  I  am  endeavouring  to  —  to  —  may  I 
say  enunciate?  Germans  over  in  this  country,  espe- 
cially those  in  comparatively  menial  positions,  such 
as  barbers  and  waiters,  are  necessary  to  us  industri- 
ally. So  long  as  they  earn  their  living  reputably, 
conform  to  our  laws,  and  pay  our  taxes,  they  are 
welcome  here.  We  do  not  wish  to  unnecessarily  dis- 
turb them.  We  wish  instead  to  offer  them  the  full 
protection  of  the  country  in  which  they  have  chosen 
to  do  productive  work." 

"  Very  interesting,"  Norgate  remarked.  "  I  have 
heard  this  point  of  view  before.  Once  I  thought  it 
common   sense.     To-day  I  think  it  academic  piffle. 


54  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

If  we  leave  the  Germans  engaged  in  the  inland  towns 
alone  for  a  moment,  do  you  realise,  I  wonder,  that 
there  isn't  any  seaport  in  England  that  hasn't  its 
sprinkling  of  Germans  engaged  in  the  occupations  of 
which  you  speak?  " 

"  And  in  a  general  way,"  Mr.  Tyritt  assented, 
smiling,  "  they  are  perfectly  welcome  to  write  home 
to  their  friends  and  relations  each  week  and  tell  them 
everything  they  see  happening  about  them,  every- 
thing they  know  about  us." 

Norgate  rose  reluctantly  to  his  feet. 

"  I  won't  trouble  you  any  longer,"  he  decided.  "  I 
presume  that  if  I  make  a  few  investigations  on  my 
own  account,  and  bring  you  absolute  proof  that  any 
one  of  these  people  whose  names  are  upon  my  list  are 
in  traitorous  communication  with  Germany,  you  will 
view  the  matter  differently  ?  " 

"Without  a  doubt,"  Mr.  Tyritt  promised.  "Is 
that  your  list  ?  Will  you  allow  me  to  glance  through 
it.?" 

"  I  brought  it  here  to  leave  in  your  hands,"  Nor- 
gate replied,  passing  it  over.  "  Your  attitude, 
however,  seems  to  render  that  course  useless." 

Mr.  Tyritt  adjusted  his  eyeglasses  and  glanced 
benevolently  at  the  document.  A  sharp  ejaculation 
broke  from  his  lips.  As  his  eyes  wandered  down- 
wards, his  first  expression  of  incredulity  gave  way  to 
one  of  suppressed  amusement. 

"-Why,  Mr.  Norgate,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  laid  it 
down,  "  do  you  mean  to  seriously  accuse  these  people 
of  being  engaged  in  any  sort  of  league  against  us.''  " 

"  Most  certainly  I  do,"  Norgate  insisted. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  55 

"  But  the  thing  is  ridiculous ! "  Mr.  Tyritt  de- 
clared. "  There  are  names  here  of  princes,  of  bank- 
ers, of  society  women,  many  of  them  wholly  and  en- 
tirely English,  some  of  them  household  names.  You 
expect  me  to  believe  that  these  people  are  all  linked 
together  in  what  amounts  to  a  conspiracy  to  further 
the  cause  of  Germany  at  the  expense  of  the  country 
in  which  they  live,  to  which  they  belong?  " 

Norgate  picked  up  his  hat. 

"  I  expect  you  to  believe  nothing,  Mr.  Tyritt,"  he 
said  drily.     "  Sorry  I  troubled  you." 

"  Not  at  all,"  Mr.  Tyritt  protested,  the  slight  irri- 
tation passing  from  his  manner.  "  Such  a  visit  as 
yours  is  an  agreeable  break  in  my  routine  work.  I 
feel  as  though  I  might  be  a  character  in  a  great  mod- 
em romance.  The  names  of  your  amateur  criminals 
are  still  tingling  in  my  memory." 

Norgate  turned  back  from  the  door. 

"  Remember  them,  if  you  can,  Mr.  Tyritt,"  he  ad- 
vised.    "  You  may  have  cause  to,  some  day." 


CHAPTER  VII 

Norgate  sat,  the  following  afternoon,  upon  the 
leather-stuffed  fender  of  a  fashionable  mixed  bridge 
club  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Berkeley  Square,  ex- 
changing greetings  with  such  of  the  members  as  were 
disposed  to  find  time  for  social  amenities.  A 
smartly-dressed  woman  of  dark  complexion  and 
slightly  foreign  appearance,  who  had  just  cut  out  of 
a  rubber,  came  over  and  seated  herself  by  his  side. 
She  took  a  cigarette  from  her  case  and  accepted  a 
match  from  Norgate. 

"  So  you  are  really  back  again !  "  she  murmured^ 
*'  It  scarcely  seems  possible." 

"  I  am  just  beginning  to  realise  it  myself,"  he  re- 
plied.    "  You  haven't  altered,  Bertha." 

"  My  dear  man,"  she  protested,  "  you  did  not  ex- 
pect me  to  age  in  a  month,  did  you  ?  It  can  scarcely 
be  more  than  that  since  you  left  for  Berlin.  Are 
you  not  back  again  sooner  than  you  expected  ?  " 

Norgate  nodded. 

"  Very  much  sooner,"  he  admitted.  "  I  came  in 
for  some  unexpected  leave,  which  I  haven't  the 
slightest  intention  of  spending  abroad,  so  here  I  am." 

*'  Not,  apparently,  in  love  with  Berlin,"  the  lady, 
whose  name  was  Mrs.  Paston  Benedek,  remarked. 

Norgate's  air  of  complete  candour  was  very  well 
assumed. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  57 

*'  I  shall  never  be  a  success  as  a  diplomatist,"  he 
confessed.  "  When  I  dislike  a  place  or  a  person, 
every  one  knows  it.  I  hated  Berlin.  I  hate  the 
thought  of  going  back  again." 

The  woman  by  his  side  smiled  enigmatically. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  murmured,  "  you  may  get  an  ex- 
change." 

"  Perhaps,"  Norgate  assented.  "  Meanwhile,  even 
a  month  away  from  London  seems  to  have  brought  a 
fresh  set  of  people  here.  Who  is  the  tall,  thin  young 
man  with  the  sunburnt  face?  He  seems  familiar, 
somehow,  but  I  can't  place  him." 

"  He  is  a  sailor,"  she  told  him.  "  Captain  Bar- 
ing his  name  is." 

"  Friend  of  yours.''  " 

She  looked  at  him  sidewise. 

"Why  do  you  ask?" 

"  Jealousy,"  Norgate  sighed,  "  makes  one  observ- 
ant. You  were  lunching  with  him  in  the  Carlton 
Grill.  You  came  in  with  him  to  the  club  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Sherlock  Holmes  !  "  she  murmured.  "  There  are 
other  men  in  the  club  with  whom  I  lunch  —  even 
dine." 

Norgate  glanced  across  the  room.  Baring  was 
playing  bridge  at  a  table  close  at  hand,  but  his  at- 
tention seemed  to  be  abstracted.  He  looked  often 
towards  where  Mrs.  Benedek  sat.  There  was  a  rest- 
lessness about  his  manner  scarcely  in  keeping  with  the 
rest  of  his  appearance. 

"  One  misses  a  great  deal,"  Norgate  regretted, 
"  through  being  only  an  occasional  visitor  here." 


58  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  As,  for  instance?  " 

"  The  privilege  of  being  one  of  those  fortunate 
few." 

She  laughed  at  him.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  chal- 
lenge. She  leaned  a  little  closer  and  whispered  in  his 
ear :     "  There  is  still  a  vacant  place." 

"For  to-night  or  to-morrow?"  he  asked  eagerly. 

"  For  to-morrow,"  she  replied.  "  You  may  tele- 
phone—  3702  Mayfair — at  ten  o'clock." 

He  scribbled  down  the  number.  Then  he  put  his 
pocket-book  away  with  a  sigh. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  are  treating  that  poor  sailor-man 
badly,"  he  declared. 

"  Sometimes,"  she  confided,  "  he  bores  me.  He  is 
so  very  much  in  earnest.  Tell  me  about  Berlin  and 
your  work  there?  " 

"  I  didn't  take  to  Germany,"  Norgate  confessed, 
"  and  Germany  didn't  take  to  me.  Between  ourselves 
—  I  shouldn't  like  another  soul  in  the  club  to  know 
it  —  I  think  it  is  very  doubtful  if  I  go  back  there." 

"  That  little  contretemps  with  the  Prince,"  she 
murmured  under  her  breath. 

He  stiffened  at  once. 

"  But  how  do  you  know  of  it  ?  " 

She  bit  her  lip.  For  a  moment  a  frown  of  annoy- 
ance clouded  her  face.  She  had  said  more  than  she 
intended. 

"  I  have  correspondents  in  Berlin,"  she  explained. 
"  They  tell  me  of  everything.  I  have  a  friend,  in 
fact,  who  was  in  the  restaurant  that  night." 

"  What  a  coincidence !  "  he  exclaimed. 

She  nodded  and  selected  a  fresh  cigarette. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  59 

"  Isn't  it !  But  that  table  is  up.  I  promised  to 
cut  in  there.  Captain  Baring  likes  me  to  play  at  the 
same  table,  and  he  is  here  for  such  a  short  time  that 
one  tries  to  be  kind.  It  is  indeed  kindness,"  she 
added,  taking  up  her  gold  purse  and  belongings,  "  for 
he  plays  so  badly." 

She  moved  towards  the  table.  It  happened  to  be 
Baring  who  cut  out,  and  he  and  Norgate  drifted  to- 
gether.    They  exchanged  a  few  remarks. 

"  I  met  you  at  Marseilles  once,"  Norgate  reminded 
him.  "  You  were  with  the  Mediterranean  Squadron, 
commanding  the  Leicester,  I  believe." 

*'  Thought  I'd  seen  you  somewhere  before,"  was  the 
prompt  acknowledgment.  "  You're  in  the  Diplo- 
matic Serv'ice,  aren't  you?  " 

Norgate  admitted  the  fact  and  suggested  a  drink. 
The  two  men  settled  down  to  exchange  confidences 
over  a  whisky  and  soda.  Baring  looked  around  him 
with  some  disapprobation. 

"  I  can't  really  stick  this  place,"  he  asserted.  "  If 
it  weren't  for  —  for  some  of  the  people  here,  I'd 
never  come  inside  the  doors.  It's  a  rotten  way  of 
spending  one's  time.     You  play,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  play,"  Norgate  admitted,  **  but  I 
rather  agree  with  you.  How  wonderfully  well  Mrs. 
Benedek  is  looking,  isn't  she !  " 

Baring  withdrew  his  admiring  eyes  from  her  vicin- 
ity. 

"  Prettiest  and  smartest  woman  in  London,"  he 
declared. 

"  By-the-by ,  is  she  English  ?  "  Norgate  asked. 

"  A  mixture  of  French,  Italian,  and  German,  I 


6o  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

believe,"  Baring  replied,  "  Her  husband  is  Benedek 
the  painter,  you  know." 

"  I've  heard  of  him,"  Norgate  assented.  "  What 
are  you  doing  now  ?  " 

"  I've  had  a  job  up  in  town  for  a  week  or  so,  at  the 
Admiralty,"  Baring  explained.  "  We  are  examining 
the  plans  of  a  new  —  but  you  wouldn't  be  interested  in 
that." 

"  I'm  interested  in  anything  naval,"  Norgate  as- 
sured him. 

"In  any  case,  it  isn't  my  job  to  talk  about  it," 
Baring  continued  apologetically.  "  We've  just  got 
a  lot  of  fresh  regulations  out.  Any  one  would  think 
we  were  going  to  war  to-morrow." 

"  I  suppose  war  isn't  such  an  impossible  event," 
Norgate  remarked.  "  They  all  say  that  the  Ger- 
mans are  dying  to  have  a  go  at  you  fellows." 

Baring  grinned. 

"  They  wouldn't  have  a  dog's  chance,"  he  declared. 
*'  That's  the  only  drawback  of  having  so  strong  a 
navy.  We  don't  stand  any  chance  of  getting  a 
fight." 

"  You'll  have  all  you  can  do  to  keep  up,  judging 
by  the  way  they  talk  in  Germany,"  Norgate  observed. 

"  Are  you  just  home  from  there?  " 

Norgate  nodded.  "  I  am  at  the  Embassy  in  Ber- 
lin, or  rather  I  have  been,"  he  replied.  "  I  am  just 
home  on  six  months'  leave." 

"  And  that's  your  real  impression  ?  "  Baring  en- 
quired eagerly.  "  You  really  think  that  they  mean 
to  have  a  go  at  us  ?  " 

"  I  think  there'll  be  a  war  soon,"  Norgate  con- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  6i 

fessed.  "  It  probably  won't  commence  at  sea,  but 
you'll  have  to  do  your  little  lot,  without  a  doubt." 

Baring  gazed  across  the  room.  There  was  a  hard 
light  in  his  eyes. 

"  Sounds  beastly,  I  suppose,"  he  muttered,  "  but 
I  wish  to  God  it  would  come !  A  war  would  give  us 
all  a  shaking  up  —  put  us  in  our  right  places.  We 
all  seem  to  go  on  drifting  any  way  now.  The 
Services  are  all  right  when  there's  a  bit  of  a  scrap 
going  sometimes,  but  there's  a  nasty  sort  of  feeling 
of  dry  rot  about  them,  when  year  after  year  all  your 
preparations  end  in  the  smoke  of  a  sham  fight.  Now 
I  am  on  this  beastly  land  job  —  but  there,  I  mustn't 
bother  you  with  my  grumblings." 

"  I  am  interested,"  Norgate  assured  him.  "  Did 
you  say  you  were  considering  something  new.'' " 

Baring  nodded. 

"  Plans  of  a  new  submarine,"  he  confided. 
"  There's  no  harm  in  telling  you  as  much  as  that." 

Mrs.  Benedek,  who  was  dummy  for  the  moment, 
strolled  over  to  them. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  she  murmured,  "  whether  I  like 
the  expression  you  have  brought  back  from  Germany 
with  you,  Mr.  Norgate." 

Norgate  smiled.  "  Have  I  really  acquired  the  cor- 
rect diplomatic  air?  "  he  asked.  "  I  can  assure  you 
that  it  is  an  accident  —  or  perhaps  I  am  imitative." 

"  You  have  acquired,"  she  complained,  "  an  air  of 
unnatural  reserve.  You  seem  as  though  you  had 
found  some  problem  in  life  so  weighty  that  you  could 
not  lose  sight  of  it  even  for  a  moment.     Ah !  " 

The  glass-topped  door  had  been  flung  wide  open 


62  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

with  an  unusual  flourish.  A  barely  perceptible  start 
escaped  Norgate.  It  was  indeed  an  unexpected  ap- 
pearance, this  !  Dressed  with  a  perfect  regard  to  the 
latest  London  fashion,  with  his  hair  smoothly  brushed 
and  a  pearl  pin  in  his  black  satin  tie,  Herr  Selingman 
stood  upon  the  threshold,  beaming  upon  them. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Selingman  had  the  air  of  a  man  who  returns  after 
a  long  absence  to  some  familiar  spot  where  he  expects 
to  find  friends  and  where  his  welcome  is  assured. 
Mrs.  Paston  Benedek  slipped  from  her  place  upon 
the  cushioned  fender  and  held  out  both  her  hands. 

"  Ah,  it  is  really  you !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Wel- 
come, dear  friend!  For  days  I  have  wondered 
what  it  was  in  this  place  which  one  missed  all  the 
time.     Now  I  know." 

Selingman  took  the  little  outstretched  hands  and 
raised  them  to  his  lips. 

"  Dear  lady,"  he  assured  her,  "  you  repay  me  in 
one  moment  for  all  the  weariness  of  my  exile." 

She  turned  towards  her  companion. 

"  Captain  Baring,"  she  begged,  "  please  ring  the 
bell.  Mr.  Selingman  and  I  always  drink  a  toast  to- 
gether the  moment  he  first  arrives  to  pay  us  one  of 
his  too  rare  visits.  Thank  you !  You  know  Captain 
Baring,  don't  you,  Mr.  Selingman?  This  is  another 
friend  of  mine  whom  I  think  that  you  have  not  met  — 
Mr.  Francis  Norgate,  Mr.  Selingman.  Mr.  Norgate 
has  just  arrived  from  Berlin,  too." 

For  a  single  moment  the  newcomer  seemed  to  lose 
his  Cheeryble-like  expression.  The  glance  which  he 
flashed  upon  Norgate  contained  other  elements  be- 
sides those  of  polite  pleasure.     He  was  himself  again. 


64  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

however,  almost  instantly.  He  grasped  his  new  ac- 
quaintance by  the  hand. 

"  Mr.  Norgate  and  I  are  already  old  friends,"  he 
insisted.  "  We  occupied  the  same  coupe  coming 
from  Berlin  and  drank  a  bottle  of  wine  together  in 
the  bufFet." 

Mrs.  Benedek  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed, 
a  familiar  gesture  which  her  enemies  declared  was  in 
some  way  associated  with  the  dazzling  whiteness  of 
her  teeth. 

"  And  now,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  find  that  you 
belong  to  the  same  bridge  club.  What  a  coinci- 
dence !  " 

"  It  is  rather  surprising,  I  must  admit,"  Norgate 
assented.  "  Mr.  Selingman  and  I  discussed  many 
things  last  night,  but  we  did  not  speak  of  bridge. 
In  fact,  from  the  tone  of  our  conversation,  I  should 
have  imagined  that  cards  were  an  amusement  which 
scarcely  entered  into  Mr.  Selingman's  scheme  of  life." 

"  One  must  have  one's  distractions,"  Selingman 
protested.  "  I  confess  that  auction  bridge,  as  it  is 
played  over  here,  is  the  one  game  in  the  world  which 
attracts  me." 

"  But  how  about  the  crockery  ?  "  Norgate  asked. 
"  Doesn't  that  come  first  ?  " 

"  First,  beyond  a  doubt,"  Selingman  agreed  heart- 
ily. "  Always,  though,  ray  plan  of  campaign  is  the 
same.  On  the  day  of  my  arrival  here,  I  take  things 
easily.  I  spend  an  hour  or  so  at  the  office  in  the 
morning,  and  the  afternoon  I  take  holiday.  After 
that  I  settle  down  for  one  week's  hard  work.  Lon- 
don —  your  great  London  —  takes  always  first  place 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  65 

with  me.  In  the  mornings  I  see  my  agents  and  my 
customers.  Perhaps  I  Imich  with  one  of  them.  At 
four  o'clock  I  close  my  desk,  and  crockery  does  not 
exist  for  me  any  longer.  I  get  into  a  taxi,  and  I 
come  here.  My  first  game  of  bridge  is  a  treat  to 
which  I  look  forward  eagerly.  See,  there  are  three 
of  us  and  several  sitting  out.  Let  us  make  another 
table.     So ! " 

They  found  a  fourth  without  difficulty  and  took 
possession  of  a  table  at  the  far  end  of  the  room. 
Selingman,  with  a  huge  cigar  in  his  mouth,  played 
well  and  had  every  appearance  of  thoroughly  enjoy- 
ing the  game.  Towards  the  end  of  their  third  rub- 
ber, Mrs.  Benedek,  who  was  dummy,  leaned  across 
towards  Norgate. 

"  After  all,  perhaps  you  are  better  off  here,"  she 
murmured  in  German.  "  There  is  nothing  like  this 
in  Berlin." 

"  One  is  at  least  nearer  the  things  one  cherishes," 
Norgate  quoted  in  the  same  language. 

Selingman  was  playing  the  hand  and  held  between 
his  fingers  a  card  already  drawn  to  play.  For  a 
moment,  it  was  suspended  in  the  air.  He  looked 
towards  Norgate,  and  there  was  a  new  quality  in  his 
piercing  gaze,  an  instant  return  in  his  expression  of 
the  shadow  which  had  swept  the  broad  good-humour 
from  his  face  on  his  first  appearance.  The  change 
came  and  went  like  a  flash.  He  finished  playing  the 
hand  and  scored  his  points  before  he  spoke.  Then 
he  turned  to  Norgate. 

"  Your  gift  of  acquiring  languages  in  a  short  space 
of  time   is  most  extraordinary,  my  young  friend! 


66  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Since  yesterday  you  have  become  able  to  speak  Ger- 
man, eh?     Prodigious!" 

Norgate  smiled  without  embarrassment.  The 
moment  was  a  critical  one,  portentous  to  an  extent 
which  no  one  at  that  table  could  possibly  have 
realised. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  confessed,  "  that  when  I  found 
that  I  had  a  fellow  traveller  in  my  coupe  I  felt  most 
ungracious  and  unsociable.  I  was  in  a  thoroughly 
bad  temper  and  indisposed  for  conversation.  The 
simplest  way  to  escape  from  it  seemed  to  be  to  plead 
ignorance  of  any  language  save  my  own." 

Selingman  chuckled  audibly.  The  cloud  had 
passed  from  his  face.  To  all  appearance  that  mo- 
mentary suspicion  had  been  strangled. 

"  So  you  found  me  a  bore !  "  he  observed.  "  Then 
I  must  admit  that  your  manners  were  good,  for  when 
you  found  that  I  spoke  English  and  that  you  could 
not  escape  conversation,  you  allowed  me  to  talk  on 
about  my  business,  and  you  showed  few  signs  of 
weariness.  You  should  be  a  diplomatist,  Mr.  Nor- 
gate." 

"  Mr.  Norgate  is,  or  rather  he  was,"  Mrs.  Paston 
Benedek  remarked.  "  He  has  just  left  the  Embassy 
at  Berlin." 

Selingman  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  thrust  both 
hands  into  his  trousers  pockets.  He  indulged  in  a 
few  German  expletives,  bombastic  and  thunderous, 
which  relieved  him  so  much  that  he  was  able  to  con- 
clude his  speech  in  English. 

"  I  am  the  densest  blockhead  in  all  Europe !  "  he 
announced  emphatically.     "  If  I  had  realised  your 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  67 

identity,  I  would  willingly  have  left  you  alone.  No 
wonder  you  were  feeling  indisposed  for  idle  conversa- 
tion! Mr.  Francis  Norgate,  eh?  A  little  affair  at 
the  Cafe  de  Berlin  with  a  lady  and  a  hot-headed 
young  princeling.  Well,  well !  Young  sir,  you  have 
become  more  to  me  than  an  ordinary  acquaintance. 
If  I  had  known  the  cause  of  your  ill-humour,  I  would 
certainly  have  left  you  alone,  but  I  would  have  shaken 
you  first  by  the  hand." 

The  fourth  at  the  table,  who  was  an  elderly  lady 

of  somewhat  austere  appearance,  produced  a  small 

black  cigar  from  what  seemed  to  be  a  harmless-look- 

l   ing    reticule    which    she    was    carrying,    and    lit    it. 

^    Selingman  stared  at  her  with  his  mouth  open. 

"  Is  this  a  bridge-table  or  is  it  not  ?  "  she  enquired 
severely.  "  These  little  personal  reminiscences  are 
very  interesting  among  yourselves,  I  dare  say,  but 
I  cut  in  here  with  the  idea  of  playing  bridge." 

Selingman  was  the  first  to  recover  his  manners, 
although  his  eyes  seemed  still  fascinated  by  the  cigar. 

"  We  owe  you  apologies,  madam,"  he  acknowl- 
edged.    "  Permit  me  to  cut." 

The  rubber  progressed  and  finished  in  comparative 
silence.  At  its  conclusion,  Selingman  glanced  at  the 
clock.     It  was  half-past  seven. 

"  I  am  hungry,"  he  announced. 

Mrs.  Benedek  laughed  at  him.  **  Hungry  at  half- 
past  seven !     Barbarian !  " 

"  I  lunched  at  half -past  twelve,"  he  protested.  "  I 
ate  less  than  usual,  too.  I  did  not  even  leave  my 
office,  I  was  so  anxious  to  finish  what  was  necessary 
and  to  find  myself  here." 


68  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Mrs.  Benedek  played  with  the  cards  a  moment  and 
then  rose  to  her  feet  with  a  little  grimace. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  give  in,"  she 
sighed.  *'  I  am  taking  it  for  granted,  you  see,  that 
you  are  expecting  me  to  dine  with  you." 

"  My  dear  lady,"  Selingman  declared  emphatically, 
"  if  you  were  to  break  through  our  time-honoured 
custom  and  deny  me  the  joy  of  your  company  on  my 
first  evening  in  London,  I  think  that  I  should  send 
another  to  look  after  my  business  in  this  country,  and 
retire  myself  to  the  seclusion  of  my  little  country 
home  near  Potsdam.  The  inducements  of  managing 
one's  own  affairs  in  this  country,  Mr.  Norgate,"  he 
added,  "  are,  as  you  may  imagine,  manifold  and  mag- 
netic." 

"  We  will  not  grudge  them  to  you  so  long  as  you 
don't  come  too  often,"  Norgate  remarked,  as  he  bade 
them  good  night.  "  The  man  who  monopolised  Mrs. 
Benedek  would  soon  make  himself  unpopular  here." 


CHAPTER  IX 

Norgate  had  chosen,  for  many  reasons,  to  return 
to  London  as  a  visitor.  His  somewhat  luxurious 
rooms  in  Albemarle  Street  were  still  locked  up.  He 
had  taken  a  small  flat  in  the  Milan  Court,  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  avoiding  immediate  association  with 
his  friends  and  relatives.  His  whole  outlook  upon 
lifs  was  confused  and  disturbed.  Until  he  received  a 
definite  pronouncement  from  the  head-quarters  of 
officialdom,  he  felt  himself  unable  to  settle  down  to 
any  of  the  ordinary  functions  of  life.  And  behind 
all  this,  another  and  a  more  powerful  sentiment  pos- 
sessed him.  He  had  left  Berlin  without  seeing  or 
hearing  anything  further  from  Anna  von  Haase.  No 
word  had  come  from  her,  nor  any  message.  And 
now  that  it  was  too  late,  he  began  to  feel  that  he  had 
made  a  mistake.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  visited 
upon  her,  in  some  indirect  way,  the  misfortune  which 
had  befallen  him.  It  was  scarcely  her  fault  that  she 
had  been  the  object  of  attentions  which  nearly  every 
one  agreed  were  unwelcome,  from  this  young  prince- 
ling. Norgate  told  himself,  as  he  changed  his 
clothes  that  evening,  that  his  behaviour  had  been  the 
behaviour  of  a  jealous  school-boy.  Then  an  inspira- 
tion seized  him.  Half  dressed  as  he  was,  he  sat  down 
at  the  writing-table  and  wrote  to  her.  He  wrote 
rapidly,   and   when  he   had   finished,   he  sealed   and 


70  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

addressed  the  envelope  without  glancing  once  more 
at  its  contents.  The  letter  was  stamped  and  posted 
within  a  few  minutes,  but  somehow  or  other  it  seemed 
to  have  made  a  difference.  His  depression  was  no 
longer  so  complete.  He  looked  forward  to  his  lonely 
dinner,  at  one  of  the  smaller  clubs  to  which  he  be- 
longed, with  less  aversion. 

"  Do  you  know  where  any  of  my  people  are, 
Hardy  ?  "  he  asked  his  servant. 

"  In  Scotland,  I  believe,  sir,"  the  man  replied.  "  I 
called  round  this  afternoon,  although  I  was  careful 
not  to  mention  the  fact  that  you  were  in  town.  The 
house  is  practically  in  the  hands  of  caretakers." 

"  Try  to  keep  out  of  the  way  as  much  as  you  can, 
Hardy,"  Norgate  enjoined.  "For  a  few  days,  at 
any  rate,  I  should  like  no  one  to  know  that  I  am  in 
town." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  the  man  replied.  "  Might  I 
venture  to  enquire,  sir,  if  you  are  likely  to  be  re- 
turning to  Berlin  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  is  very  doubtful.  Hardy,"  Norgate 
observed  grimly.  "  We  are  more  likely  to  remain 
here  for  a  time." 

Hardy  brushed  his  master's  hat  for  a  moment  or 
two  in  silence. 

"  You  will  pardon  my  mentioning  it,  sir,"  he  said 
— "  I  imagine  it  is  of  no  importance  —  but  one  of  the 
German  waiters  on  this  floor  has  been  going  out  of 
his  way  to  enter  into  conversation  with  me  this  even- 
ing. He  seemed  to  know  your  name  and  to  know 
that  you  had  just  come  from  Germany.  He  hinted 
at  some  slight  trouble  there,  sir." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  71 

"  The  dickens  he  did ! "  Norgate  exclaimed. 
*'  That's  rather  quick  work,  Hardy." 

"  So  I  thought,  sir,"  the  man  continued.  "  A  very 
inquisitive  individual  indeed  I  found  him.  He  wanted 
to  know  whether  you  had  had  any  news  yet  as  to  any 
further  appointment.  He  seemed  to  know  quite  well 
that  you  had  been  at  the  Foreign  Oflfice  this  morn- 
ing." 

"What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"  I  told  him  that  I  knew  nothing,  sir.  I  explained 
that  you  had  not  been  back  to  lunch,  and  that  I  had 
not  seen  you  since  the  morning.  He  tried  to  make 
an  appointment  with  me  to  give  me  some  dinner  and 
take  me  to  a  music-hall  to-night." 

"  What  did  you  say  to  that  ?  "  Norgate  enquired. 

"  I  left  the  matter  open,  sir,"  the  man  replied.  "  I 
thought  I  would  enquire  what  your  wishes  might  be? 
The  person  evidently  desires  to  gain  some  informa- 
tion about  your  movements.  I  thought  that  possibly 
it  might  be  advantageous  for  me  to  tell  him  just  what 
you  desired." 

Norgate  lit  a  cigarette.  For  the  moment  he  was 
puzzled.  It  was  true  that  during  their  journey  he 
had  mentioned  to  Selingman  his  intention  of  taking 
a  flat  at  the  Milan  Court,  but  if  this  espionage  were 
the  direct  outcome  of  that  information,  it  was  indeed 
a  wonderful  organisation  which  Selingman  controlled. 

"  You  have  acted  very  discreetly.  Hardy,"  he  said. 
*'  I  think  you  had  better  tell  your  friend  that  I  am 
expecting  to  leave  for  somewhere  at  a  moment's 
notice.  For  your  own  information,"  he  added,  "  I 
rather  think  that  I  shall  stay  here.     It  seems  to  me 


72  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

quite  possible  that  we  may  find  London,  for  a  few 
weeks,  just  as  interesting  as  any  city  in  the  world." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  sir,"  the  man 
murmured.     "  Shall  I  fetch  your  overcoat  ?  " 

The  telephone  bell  suddenly  interrupted  them. 
Hardy  took  up  the  receiver  and  listened  for  a  mo- 
ment. 

"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  would  like  to  speak  to  you, 
sir,"  he  announced. 

Norgate  hurried  to  the  telephone.  A  cheery  voice 
greeted  him. 

"Hullo!  That  you,  Norgate.?  This  is  Hebble- 
thwaite. I'm  just  back  from  a  few  days  in  the  coun- 
try —  found  your  note  here.  I  want  to  hear  all 
about  this  little  matter  at  once.  When  can  I  see 
you  ?  " 

"  Any  time  you  like,"  Norgate  replied  promptly. 

"  Let  me  see,"  the  voice  continued,  "  what  are  you 
doing  to-night?  " 

"Nothing!" 

"  Come  straight  round  to  the  House  of  Commons 
and  dine.  Or  no  —  wait  a  moment  —  we'll  go  some- 
where quieter.  Say  the  club  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
—  the  Reform  Club.     How  will  that  suit  you  ?  " 

"  I'll  be  there,  with  pleasure,"  Norgate  promised. 

"  Righto !  We'll  hear  what  you've  been  doing  to 
these  peppery  Germans.  I  had  a  line  from  Leveson 
himself  this  morning.  A  lady  in  the  case,  I  hear? 
Well,  well !  Never  mind  explanations  now.  See  you 
in  a  few  minutes." 

Norgate  laid  down  the  receiver.  His  manner,  as 
he  accepted  his  well-brushed  hat,  had  lost  all  its  de- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  73 

pression.  There  was  no  one  in  the  Cabinet  with  more 
influence  than  Hebblethwaite.  He  would  have  his 
chance,  at  any  rate,  and  his  chance  at  other  things. 

"  Look  here,  Hardy,"  he  ordered,  as  he  drew  on 
his  gloves,  "  spend  as  much  time  as  you  like  with  that 
fellow  and  let  me  know  what  sort  of  questions  he  asks 
you.  Be  careful  not  to  mention  the  fact  that  I  am 
dining  with  Mr.  Hebblethwaite.  For  the  rest,  fence 
with  him.  I  am  not  quite  sure  what  it  all  means. 
If  by  any  chance  he  mentions  a  man  named  Seling- 
man,  let  me  know.     Good  night !  " 

"  Good  night,  sir !  "  the  man  replied. 

Norgate  descended  into  the  Strand  and  walked 
briskly  towards  Pall  Mall.  The  last  few  minutes 
seemed  to  him  to  be  fraught  with  promise  of  a  new 
interest  in  life.  Yet  it  was  not  of  any  of  these  things 
that  he  was  thinking  as  he  made  his  way  towards  his 
destination.  He  was  occupied  most  of  the  time  in 
wondering  how  long  it  would  be  before  he  could  hope 
to  receive  a  reply  from  Berlin  to  his  letter. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Right  Honourable  John  Hebblethwaite,  M.P., 
since  he  had  become  a  Cabinet  Minister  and  had  even 
been  mentioned  as  the  possible  candidate  for  supreme 
office,  had  lost  a  great  deal  of  that  breezy,  almost 
boisterous  effusion  of  manner  which  in  his  younger 


days  had  first  endeared  him  to  his  constituents.  He 
received  Norgate,  however,  with  marked  and  hearty 
cordiality,  and  took  his  arm  as  he  led  him  to  the 
little  table  which  he  had  reserved  in  a  comer  of  the 
dining-room.  The  friendship  between  the  entirely 
self-made  politician  and  Norgatej^_who  was  the  nephew 
of  a  iJuke,  and  whose  aristocratic  connections  were 
multifarious  and  far-reaching,  was  in  its  way  a  genu- 
ine one.  There  were  times  when  Hebblethwaite  had 
made  use  of  his  younger  friend  to  further  his  own 
undoubted  social  ambitions.  On  the  other  hand, 
since  he  had  become  a  power  in  politics,  he  had  al- 
ways been  ready  to  return  in  kind  such  offices.  The 
note  which  he  had  received  from  Norgate  that  day 
was,  however,  the  first  appeal  which  had  ever  been 
made  to  him. 

"  I  have  been  away  for  a  week-end's  golf,"  Heb- 
blethwaite explained,  as  they  took  their  places  at  the 
table.  *'  There  comes  a  time  when  figures  pall,  and 
snapping   away   in  debate   seems   to   stick   in   one's 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  75 

throat.  I  telephoned  directly  I  got  your  note. 
Fortunately,  I  wasn't  doing  anything  this  evening. 
We  won't  play  about.  I  know  you  don't  want  to  see 
me  to  talk  about  the  weather,  and  I  know  something's 
up,  or  Leveson  wouldn't  have  written  to  me,  and  you 
wouldn't  be  back  from  Berlin.  Let's  have  the  whole 
story  with  the  soup  and  fish,  and  we'll  try  and  hit 
upon  a  way  to  put  things  right  before  we  reach  the 
liqueurs." 

"  I've  lots  to  say  to  you,"  Norgate  admitted 
simply.  "  I'll  begin  with  the  personal  side  of  it. 
Here's  just  a  brief  narration  of  exactly  what  hap- 
pened to  me  in  the  most  fashionable  restaurant  of 
Berlin  last  Thursday  night." 

Norgate  told  his  story.  His  friend  listened  with 
the  absorbed  attention  of  a  man  who  possesses  com- 
plete powers  of  concentration. 

"  Rotten  business,"  he  remarked,  when  it  was 
finished.  "  I  suppose  you've  told  old  —  I  mean 
you've  told  them  the  story  at  the  Foreign  OflSce?" 

"  Had  it  all  out  this  morning,"  Norgate  replied. 

"  I  know  exactly  what  our  friend  told  you,"  Mr. 
Hebblethwaite  continued,  with  a  gleam  of  humour  in 
his  eyes.  "  He  reminded  you  that  the  first  duty  of 
a  diplomat  —  of  a  young  diplomat  especially  —  is  to 
keep  on  friendly  terms  with  the  governing  members 
of  the  country  to  which  he  is  accredited.  How's 
that,  eh?  " 

"  Pretty  nearly  word  for  word,"  Norgate  ad- 
mitted. "  It's  the  sort  of  platitude  I  could  watch 
framing  in  his  mind  before  I  was  half-way  through 
what  I  had  to  say.     What  they  don't  seem  to  take 


76  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

sufBcient  account  of  in  that  museum  of  mummied 
brains  and  parchment  tongues  —  forgive  me,  Heb- 
blethwaite,  but  it  isn't  your  department  —  is  that  the 
Prince's  behaviour  to  me  is  such  as  no  EngHshman, 
subscribing  to  any  code  of  honour,  could  possibly 
tolerate.  I  will  admit,  if  you  like,  that  the  Kaiser's 
attitude  may  render  it  advisable  for  me  to  be  trans- 
ferred from  Berlin.  I  do  not. admitjthat  I  am  not  at 
once  eligible  for  a  position  of  similar  importance  in 
another  capital." 

"  No  one  would  doubt  it,"  John  Hebblethwaite 
grumbled,  "  except  those  particular  fools  we  have  to 
deal  with.  I  suppose  they  didn't  see  it  in  the  same 
light." 

"  They  did  not,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  We've  a  tough  proposition  to  tackle,"  Hebble- 
thwaite confessed  cheerfully,  "  but  I  am  with  you, 
Norgate,  and  to  my  mind  one  of  the  pleasures  of 
being  possessed  of  a  certain  amount  of  power  is  to 
help  one's  friends  when  you  believe  in  the  justice  of 
their  cause.  If  you  leave  things  with  me,  I'll  tackle 
them  to-morrow  morning." 

"  That's  awfully  good  of  you,  Hebblethwaite," 
Norgate  declared  gratefully,  "  and  just  what  I  ex- 
pected. We'll  leave  that  matter  altogether  just  now, 
if  we  may.  My  own  little  grievance  is  there,  and  I 
wanted  to  explain  exactly  how  it  came  about.  Apart 
from  that  altogether,  there  is  something  far  more 
important  which  I  have  to  say  to  you." 

Hebblethwaite  knitted  his  brows.  He  was  clearly 
puzzled. 

"  Still  personal,  eh  ?  "  he  enquired. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  77 

Norgate  shook  his  head. 

"  It  is  something  of  vastly  more  importance,"  he 
said,  "  than  any  question  affecting  my  welfare.  I 
am  almost  afraid  to  begin  for  fear  I  shall  miss  any 
chance,  for  fear  I  may  not  seem  convincing  enough." 
"  We'll  have  the  champagne  opened  at  once,  then," 
Mr.  Hebblethwaite  declared.  "  Perhaps  that  will 
loosen  your  tongue.  I  can  see  that  this  is  going  to 
be  a  busy  meal.  Charles,  if  that  bottle  of  Pommery 
1904<  is  iced  just  to  the  degree  I  like  it,  let  it  be 
served,  if  you  please,  in  the  large  sized  glasses. 
Now,  Norgate." 

"  What  I  am  going  to  relate  to  you,"  Norgate 
began,  leaning  across  the  table  and  speaking  very 
earnestly,  "  is  a  little  incident  which  happened  to 
me  on  my  way  back  from  Berlin.  I  had  as  a  fellow 
passenger  a  person  whom  I  am  convinced  is  high  up 
in  the  German  Secret  Service  Intelligence  Depart- 
ment." 

"  All  that !  "  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  murmured.  "  Go 
ahead,  Norgate.  I  like  the  commencement  of  your 
story.  I  almost  feel  that  I  am  moving  through  the 
pages  of  a  diplomatic  romance.  All  that  I  am 
praying  is  that  your  fellow  passenger  was  a  foreign 
lady  —  a  princess,  if  possible  —  with  wonderful  eyes, 
fascinating  manners,  and  of  a  generous  disposition." 
*'  Then  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  disappointed,"  Nor- 
gate continued  drily.  "  The  personage  in  question 
was  a  man  whose  name  was  Selingman.  He  told  me 
that  he  was  a  manufacturer  of  crockery  and  that  he 
came  often  to  England  to  see  his  customers.  He 
called  himself  a  peace-loving  German,  and  he  pro- 


78  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

fessed  the  utmost  good-will  towards  our  country  and 
our  national  policy.  At  the  commencement  of  our 
conversation,  I  managed  to  impress  him  with  the  idea 
that  I  spoke  no  German.  At  one  of  the  stations  on 
the  line  he  was  joined  by  a  Belgian,  his  agent,  as  he 
told  me,  in  Brussels  for  the  sale  of  his  crockery.  I 
overheard  this  agent,  whose  name  was  Meyer,  recount 
to  his  principal  his  recent  operations.  He  offered 
him  an  exact  plan  of  the  forts  of  Liege.  I  heard  him 
instructed  to  procure  a  list  of  the  wealthy  inhabitants 
of  Ghent  and  the  rateable  value  of  the  city,  and  I 
heard  him  commissioned  to  purchase  land  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Antwerp  for  a  secret  purpose." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite's  eyebrows  became  slowly  up- 
raised.    The  twinkle  in  his  eyes  remained,  however. 

"  My !  "  he  exclaimed  softly.  "  We're  getting  on 
with  the  romance  all  right !  " 

"  During  the  momentary  absence  of  this  fellow 
and  his  agent  from  the  carriage,"  Norgate  proceeded, 
"  I  possessed  myself  of  a  slip  of  paper  which  had 
become  detached  from  the  packet  of  documents  they 
had  been  examining.  It  consisted  of  a  list  of  names 
mostly  of  people  resident  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
purporting  to  be  Selingman's  agents.  I  venture  to 
believe  that  this  list  is  a  precise  record  of  the  princi- 
pal German  spies  in  this  country." 

"  German  spies !  "  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  murmured. 
"Whew!" 

^e  sipped  his  champagne. 

"  That  list,"  Norgate  went  on,  "  is  in  my  pocket. 
I  may  add  that  although  I  was  careful  to  keep  up  the 
fiction  of  not  understanding  German,  and  although 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  79 

I  informed  Herr  Selingman  that  I  had  seen  the  paper 
in  question  blow  out  of  the  window,  he  nevertjieless 
gave  me  that  night  a  drugged  whisky  and  soda,  and 
during  the  time  I  slept  he  must  have  been  through 
every  one  of  my  possessions.  I  found  my  few  letters 
and  papers  turned  upside  down,  and  even  my  pockets 
had  been  ransacked." 

"  Where  was  the  paper,  then  ?  "  Mr.  Hebblethwaite 
enquired. 

"In  an  inner  pocket  of  my  pyjamas,"  Norgate  ex- 
plained. "  I  had  them  made  with  a  sort  of  belt  in- 
side, at  the  time  I  was  a  king's  messenger." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  played  with  his  tie  for  a  mo- 
ment and  drank  a  little  more  champagne. 

"  Could  I  have  a  look  at  the  list.''  "  he  asked,  as 
though  with  a  sudden  inspiration. 

Norgate  passed  it  across  the  table  to  him.  Mr. 
Hebblethwaite  adjusted  his  pince-nez,  gave  a  little 
start  as  he  read  the  first  name,  leaned  back  in  his 
chair  as  he  came  to  another,  stared  at  Norgate  about 
half-way  down  the  list,  as  though  to  make  sure  that 
he  was  in  earnest,  and  finally  finished  it  in  silence. 
He  folded  it  up  and  handed  it  back. 

*'  Well,  well !  "  he  exclaimed,  a  little  pointlessly. 
*'  Now  tell  me,  Norgate,  you  showed  this  list  down 
there?  " —  jerking  his  head  towards  the  street. 

"  I  did,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  And  what  did  they  say?  " 

**  Just  what  you  might  expect  men  whose  lives  are 
spent  within  the  four  walls  of  a  room  in  Downing 
Street  to  say,"  Norgate  replied.  "  You  are  half 
inclined  to  make  fun  of  me  yourself,  Hebblethwaite, 


8o  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

but  at  any  rate  I  know  you  have  a  different  outlook 
from  theirs.  Old  Carew  was  frantically  polite.  He 
even  declared  the  list  to  be  most  interesting!  He 
rambled  on  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  on  the 
general  subject  of  the  spy  mania.  German  espion- 
age, he  told  me,  was  one  of  the  shadowy  evils  from 
which  England  had  suflPered  for  generations.  So  far 
as  regards  London  and  the  provincial  towns,  he  went 
on,  whether  for  good  or  evil,  we  have  a  large  German 
population,  and  if  they  choose  to  make  reports  to 
any  one  in  Germany  as  to  events  happening  here 
which  come  under  their  observation,  we  cannot  stop 
it,  and  it  would  not  even  be  worth  while  to  try.  As 
regards  matters  of  military  and  naval  importance, 
there  was  a  special  branch,  he  assured  me,  for  looking 
after  these,  and  it  was  a  branch  of  the  Service  which 
was  remarkably  well-served  and  remarkably  success- 
ful. Having  said  this,  he  folded  the  list  up  and  re- 
turned it  to  me,  rang  the  bell,  gave  me  a  frozen  hand 
to  shake,  a  mumbled  promise  about  another  appoint- 
ment as  soon  as  there  should  be  a  vacancy,  and  that 
was  the  end  of  it." 

"  About  that  other  appointment,"  Mr.  Hebble- 
thwaite  began,  with  some  animation  — 

"  Damn  the  other  appointment ! "  Norgate  inter- 
rupted testily.  "  I  didn't  come  here  to  cadge,  Heb- 
blethwaite.  I  am  never  likely  to  make  use  of  my 
friends  in  that  way.  I  came  for  a  bigger  thing.  I 
came  to  try  and  make  you  see  a  danger,  the  reality  of 
which  I  have  just  begun  to  appreciate  myself  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite's  manner  slowly  changed.     He 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  8i 

pulled  down  his  waistcoat,  finished  off  a  glass  of  wine, 
and  leaned  forward. 

"  Norgate,"  he  said,  "  I  am  sorry  that  this  is  the 
frame  of  mind  in  which  you  have  come  to  me.  I  tell 
you  frankly  that  you  couldn't  have  appealed  to  a 
man  in  the  Cabinet  less  in  sympathy  with  your  fears 
than  I  myself." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that,"  Norgate  replied  grimly, 
"  but  go  on." 

"Before  I  entered  the  Cabinet,"  Mr.  Hebble- 
thwaite  continued,  "  our  relations  with  Foreign 
Powers  were  just  the  myth  to  me  that  they  are  to 
most  people  who  read  the  Morning  Post  one  day  and 
the  Daily  Mail  the  next.  However,  I  made  the  best 
part  of  half  a  million  in  business  through  knowing  the 
top  and  the  bottom  and  every  comer  of  my  job,  and 
I  started  in  to  do  the  same  when  I  began  to  have  a 
share  in  the  government  of  the  country.  The  entente 
with  France  is  all  right  in  its  way,  but  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  greatest  and  broadest  stroke  of 
diplomacy  possible  to  Englishmen  to-day  was  to 
cultivate  more  benevolent  and  more  confidential  rela- 
tions with  Germany.  That  same  feeling  has  been 
spreading  through  the  Cabinet  during  the  last  two 
years.  I  am  ready  to  take  my  share  of  the  blame  or 
praise,  whichever  in  the  future  shall  be  allotted  to 
the  inspirer  of  that  idea.  It  is  our  hope  that  when 
the  present  Government  goes  out  of  office,  one  of  its 
chief  claims  to  public  approval  and  to  historical 
praise  will  be  the  improvement  of  our  relations  with 
Germany.  We  certainly  do  not  wish  to  disturb  the 
growing    confidence   which    exists    between    the    two 


82  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

countries  by  any  maladroit  or  unnecessary  investiga- 
tions. We  believe,  in  short,  that  Germany's  attitude 
towards  us  is  friendly,  and  we  intend  to  treat  her  in 
the  same  spirit." 

"  Tell  me,"  Norgate  asked,  "  is  that  the  reason 
why  every  scheme  for  the  expansion  of  the  army  has 
been  shelved?  Is  that  the  reason  for  all  the  troubles 
with  the  Army  Council?  " 

"  It  is,"  Hebblethwaite  admitted.  "  I  trust  you, 
Norgate,  and  I  look  upon  you  as  a  friend.  I  tell  you 
what  the  whole  world  of  responsible  men  and  women 
might  as  well  know,  but  which  we  naturally  don't 
care  about  shouting  from  the  housetops.  We  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  possible 
chance  of  the  peace  of  Europe  being  disturbed.  We 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  civilisation  has 
reached  that  pitch  when  the  last  resource  of  arms  is 
absolutely  unnecessary.  I  do  not  mind  telling  you 
that  the  Balkan  crisis  presented  opportunities  to 
any  one  of  the  Powers  to  plunge  into  warfare,  had 
they  been  so  disposed.  No  one  bade  more  boldly  for 
peace  then  than  Germany.  No  one  wants  war. 
Germany  has  nothing  to  gain  by  it,  no  animosity 
against  France,  none  towards  Russia.  Neither  of 
these  countries  has  the  slightest  intention,  now  or  at 
any  time,  of  invading  Germany.  Why  should  the}'? 
The  matter  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine  is  finished.  If 
these  provinces  ever  come  back  to  France,  it  will  be 
by  political  means  and  not  by  any  mad-headed  at- 
tempt to  wrest  them  away." 

"  Incidentally,"  Norgate  asked,  "  what  about  the 
enormous  armaments  of  Germany?     What  about  her 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  83 

navy?  What  about  the  military  spirit  which  prac- 
tically rules  the  country?  " 

"  I  have  spent  three  months  in  Germany  during 
'the  last  year,"  Hebblethwaite  replied.  "  It  is  my 
firm  belief  that  those  armaments  and  that  fleet  are 
necessary  to  Germany  to  preserve  her  place  of  dignity 
among  the  nations.  She  has  Russia  on  one  side  and 
France  on  the  other,  allies,  watching  her  all  the  time, 
and  of  late  years  England  has  been  chipping  at  her 
whenever  she  got  a  chance,  and  flirting  with  France. 
What  can  a  nation  do  but  make  herself  strong  enough 
to  defend  herself  against  unprovoked  attack?  Ger- 
many, of  course,  is  full  of  the  military  spirit,  but  it  is 
my  opinion,  Norgate,  that  it  is  a  great  deal  fuller  of 
the  great  commercial  spirit.  It  isn't  war  with  Ger- 
many that  we  have  to  fear.  It's  the  ruin  of  our  com- 
merce by  their  great  assiduity  and  more  up-to-date 
methods.  Now  you've  had  a  statement  of  policy 
from  me  for  which  the  halfpenny  Press  would  give  me 
a  thousand  guineas  if  I'd  sign  it." 

*'  I've  had  it,"  Norgate  admitted,  "  and  I  tell  you 
frankly  that  I  hate  it.  I  am  an  unfledged  young 
diplomat  in  disgrace,  and  I  haven't  your  experience 
or  your  brains,  but  I  have  a  hateful  idea  that  I  can 
see  the  truth  and  you  can't.  You're  too  big  and  too 
broad  in  this  matter,  Hebblethwaite.  Your  head's 
lifted  too  high.  You  see  the  horrors  and  the  need- 
lessness,  the  logical  side  of  war,  and  you  brush  the 
thought  away  from  you." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  sighed. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  he  admitted.  "  One  can  only  act 
according  to  one's  convictions.     You  must  remember. 


84  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

though,  Norgate,  that  we  don't  carry  our  pacificism 
to  extremes.  Our  navy  is  and  always  will  be  an  irre- 
sistible defence." 

"  Even  with  hostile  naval  and  aeroplane  bases  at  — 
say  —  Calais,  Boulogne,  Dieppe,  Ostend?  " 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  pushed  a  box  of  cigars  towards 
his  guest,  glanced  at  the  clock,  and  rose. 

*'  Young  fellow,"  he  said,  "  I  have  engaged  a  box 
at  the  Empire.     Let  us  move  on." 


CHAPTER  XI 

"  My  position  as  a  Cabinet  Minister,"  Mr.  Heb- 
blethwaite  declared,  with  a  sigh,  "  renders  my  pres- 
ence in  the  Promenade  undesirable.  If  you  want  to 
stroll  around,  Norgate,  don't  bother  about  me." 

Norgate  picked  up  his  hat.  "  Jolly  good  show," 
he  remarked.     "  I'll  be  back  before  it  begins  again.'* 

He  descended  to  the  lower  Promenade  and  saun- 
tered along  towards  the  refreshment  bar.  Mrs. 
Paston  Benedek,  who  was  seated  in  the  stalls,  leaned 
over  and  touched  his  arm. 

"  My  friend,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  are  distrait! 
You  walk  as  though  you  looked  for  everything  and 
saw  nothing.     And  behold,  you  have  found  me !  " 

Norgate  shook  hands  and  nodded  to  Baring,  who 
was  her  escort. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  our  expansive  friend?  " 
he  asked.     "  I  thought  you  were  dining  with  him." 

"  I  compromised,"  she  laughed.  *'  You  see  what 
it  is  to  be  so  popular.  I  should  have  dined  and  have 
come  here  with  Captain  Baring  —  that  was  our  plan 
for  to-night.  Captain  Baring,  however,  was  gener- 
ous when  he  saw  my  predicament.  He  suffered  me 
to  dine  with  Mr.  Selingman,  and  he  fetched  me  after- 
wards. Even  then  we  could  not  quite  get  rid  of  the 
dear  man.     He  came  on  here  with  us,  and  he  is  now. 


86  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

I  believe,  greeting  acquaintances  everywhere  in  the 
Promenade.  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  I  shall 
have  to  look  the  other  way  when  we  go  out." 

*'  I  think  I'll  see  whether  I  can  rescue  him,"  Nor- 
gate  remarked.  "  Good  shoWj,  isn't  it  ?  "  he  added, 
turning  to  her  companion. 

"  Capital,"  replied  Baring,  without  enthusiasm. 
"  Too  many  people  here,  though." 

Norgate  strolled  on,  and  Mrs.  Benedek  tapped  her 
companion  on  the  knuckles  with  her  fan. 

*'  How  dared  you  be  so  rude ! "  she  exclaimed. 
*'  You  are  in  a  very  bad  humour  this  evening.  I  can 
see  that  I  shall  have  to  punish  you." 

"  That's  all  very  well,"  Baring  grumbled,  "  but  it 
gets  more  difficult  to  see  you  alone  every  day.  This 
evening  was  to  have  been  mine.  Now  this  fat  Ger- 
man turns  up  and  lays  claim  to  you,  and  then,  about 
the  first  moment  we've  had  a  chance  to  talk,  Norgate 
comes  gassing  along.  You're  not  nearly  as  nice  to 
me.  Bertha,  as  you  used  to  be." 

"  My  dear  man,"  she  protested,  "  in  the  first  place 
I  deny  it.  In  the  second,  I  ask  myself  whether  you 
are  quite  as  devoted  to  me  as  you  were  when  you  first 
came.'* 

"  In  what  way  ?  "  he  demanded. 

She  turned  her  wonderful  eyes  upon  him. 

"  At  first  when  you  came,"  she  declared,  "  you  told 
me  everything.  You  spoke  of  your  long  mornings 
and  afternoons  at  the  Admiralty.  You  told  me  of 
the  room  in  which  you  worked,  the  men  who  worked 
there  with  you.  You  told  me  of  the  building  of  that 
little  model,  and  how  you  were  all  allowed  to  try  your 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  87 

own  pet  ideas  with  regard  to  it.  And  then,  all  of  a 
sudden,  nothing  —  not  a  word  about  what  you  have 
been  doing.  I  am  an  intelligent  woman.  I  love  to 
have  men  friends  who  do  things,  and  if  they  are  really 
friends  of  mine,  I  like  to  enter  into  their  life,  to  know 
of  their  work,  to  sympathise,  to  take  an  interest  in  it. 
It  was  like  that  with  you  at  first.  Now  it  has  all 
gone.  You  have  drawn  down  a  curtain.  I  do  not 
believe  that  you  go  to  the  Admiralty  at  all.  I  do 
not  believe  that  you  have  any  wonderful  invention 
there  over  which  you  spend  your  time." 

"  Bertha,  dear,"  he  remonstrated,  "  do  be  reason- 
able." 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  But  am  I  not  ?  See  how  reasonably  I  have 
spoken  to  you.  I  have  told  you  the  exact  truth.  I 
have  told  you  why  I  do  not  take  quite  that  same 
pleasure  in  your  company  as  when  you  first  came." 

"  Do  consider,"  he  begged.  "  I  spoke  to  you 
freely  at  first  because  we  had  not  reached  the  stage 
in  the  work  when  secrecy  was  absolutely  necessary. 
At  present  we  are  all  upon  our  honour.  From  the 
moment  we  pass  inside  that  little  room,  we  are,  to  all 
effects  and  purposes,  dead  men.  Nothing  that  hap- 
pens there  is  to  be  spoken  of  or  hinted  at,  even  to 
our  wives  or  our  dearest  friends.  It  is  the  etiquette 
of  my  profession.  Bertha.     Be  reasonable." 

"  Pooh !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Fancy  asking  a  woman 
to  be  reasonable !  Don't  you  realise,  you  stupid  man, 
that  if  you  were  at  liberty  to  tell  everybody  what  it 
is  that  you  do  there,  well,  then  I  should  have  no  more 
interest  in  it?     It  Is  just  because  you  say  that  you 


88  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

will  not  and  you  may  not  tell,  that,  womanlike,  I  am 
curious." 

"  But  whatever  good  could  it  be  to  you  to  know  ?  " 
he  protested.  "  I  should  simply  addle  your  head 
with  a  mass  of  technical  detail,  not  a  quarter  of 
which  you  would  be  able  to  understand.  Besides,  I 
have  told  you.  Bertha,  it  is  a  matter  of  honour." 

She  looked  intently  at  her  programme. 

*'  There  are  men,"  she  murmured,  "  who  love  so 
much  that  even  honour  counts  for  little  by  the  side 
of—" 

"  Of  what .''  "  he  whispered  hoarsely. 

"  Of  success." 

For  a  moment  they  sat  in  silence.  The  place  was 
not  particularly  hot,  yet  there  were  little  beads  of 
perspiration  upon  Baring's  forehead.  The  fingiers 
which  held  his  programme  twitched.  He  rose  sud- 
denly to  his  feet. 

"  May  I  go  out  and  have  a  drink  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I 
won't  go  if  you  don't  want  to  be  alone." 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  do  not  mind  in  the  least,"  she 
assured  him.  "  If  you  find  Mr.  Norgate,  send  him 
here." 

In  one  of  the  smaller  refreshment  rooms  sat  Mr. 
Selingman,  a  bottle  of  champagne  before  him  and  a 
wondrously  attired  lady  on  either  side.  The  heads 
of  all  three  were  close  together.  The  lady  on  the  left 
was  talking  in  a  low  tone  but  with  many  gesticula- 
tions. 

"  Dear  friend,"  she  exclaimed,  "  for  one  single 
moment  you  must  not  think  that  I  am  ungrateful ! 
But  consider.     Success  costs  money  always,  and  I 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  89 

have  been  successful  —  you  admit  that.  My  rooms 
are  frequenteST entirely  by  the  class  of  young  men 
you  have  wished  me  to  encourage.  Pauline  and  I 
here,  and  Rose,  whom  you  have  met,  seek  our  friends 
in  no  other  direction.  We  are  never  alone,  and,  as 
you  very  well  know,  not  a  day  has  passed  that  I  have 
not  sent  you  some  little  word  of  gossip  or  information 

—  the  gossip  of  the  navy  and  the  gossip  of  the  army 

—  and  there  is  always  some  truth  underneath  what 
these  young  men  say.  It  is  what  you  desire,  is  it 
not?" 

"  Without  a  doubt,"  Selingman  assented.  "  Your 
work,  my  dear  Helda,  has  been  excellent.  I  com- 
mend you.  I  think  with  fervour  of  the  day  when 
first  we  talked  together,  and  the  scheme  presented 
itself  to  me.  Continue  to  play  Aspasia  in  such  a 
fashion  to  the  young  soldiers  and  sailors  of  this  coun- 
try, and  your  villa  at  Monte  Carlo  next  year  is 
assured." 

The  woman  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  I  will  not  say  that  you  are  not  generous,"  she 
declared,  "  for  that  would  be  untrue,  but  sometimes 
you  forget  that  these  young  men  have  very  little 
money,  and  the  chief  profit  from  their  friendship, 
therefore,  must  come  to  us  in  other  ways." 

"  You  want  a  larger  allowance?  "  Selingman  asked 
slowly. 

"  Not  at  present,  but  I  want  to  warn  you  that  the 
time  may  come  when  I  shall  need  more.  A  salon  in 
Pimlico,  dear  friend,  is  an  expensive  thing  to  main- 
tain. These  young  men  tell  their  friends  of  our 
hospitality,  the  music,  our  entertainment.     We  be- 


90  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

come  almost  too  much  the  fashion,  and  it  costs 
money." 

Sehngman  held  up  his  champagne  glass,  gazed  at 
the  wine  for  a  moment,  and  slowly  drank  it. 

"  I  am  not  of  those,"  he  announced,  "  who  expect 
service  for  nothing,  especially  good  service  such  as 
yours.  Watch  for  the  postman,  dear  lady.  Any 
morning  this  week  there  may  come  for  you  a  pleas- 
ant little  surprise." 

She  leaned  over  and  patted  his  arm. 

"  You  are  a  prince,"  she  murmured.  "  But  tell 
me,  who  is  the  grave-looking  young  man  ?  " 

Selingman  glanced  up.  Norgate,  who  had  been 
standing  at  the  bar  with  Baring,  was  passing  a  few 
feet  away. 

"  The  rake's  progress,"  the  former  quoted  sol- 
emnly. 

Selingman  raised  his  glass. 

"  Come  and  join  us,"  he  invited. 

Norgate  shook  his  head  slightly  and  passed  on. 
Selingman  leaned  a  little  forward,  watching  his  de- 
parting figure.  The  buoyant  good-nature  seemed  to 
have  faded  out  of  his  face. 

"  If  you  could  get  that  young  man  to  talk,  now, 
Helda,"  he  muttered,  "  it  would  be  an  achievement." 

She  glanced  after  him.  "  To  me,"  she  declared, 
"  he  looks  one  of  the  difficult  sort." 

"  He  is  an  Englishman  with  a  grievance,"  Seling- 
man continued.  "  If  the  grievance  cuts  deep  enough, 
he  may  —     But  we  gossip." 

"  The  other  was  a  navy  man,"  the  girl  remarked. 
"  His  name  is  Baring." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  91 

Selingman  nodded. 

"  You  need  not  bother  about  him,"  he  said.  "  If 
it  is  possible  for  him  to  be  of  use,  that  is  arranged  for 
in  another  quarter.  So !  Let  us  finish  our  wine  and 
separate.  That  letter  shall  surely  come.  Have  no 
fear." 

Selingman  strolled  away,  a  few  minutes  later. 
Baring  had  returned  to  Mrs.  Paston  Benedek,  and 
Norgate  had  resumed  his  place  in  the  box.  Seling- 
man,  with  a  gold-topped  cane  under  his  arm,  a  fresh 
cigar  between  his  lips,  and  a  broad  smile  of  good- 
fellowship  upon  his  face,  strolled  down  one  of  the 
wings  of  the  Promenade.  Suddenly  he  came  to  a' 
standstill.  In  the  box  opposite  to  him,  Norgate  and 
Hebblethwaite  were  seated  side  by  side.  Selingman 
regarded  them  for  a  moment  steadfastly. 

"  A  friend  of  Hebblethwaite's ! "  he  muttered. 
"  Hebblethwaite  —  the  one  man  whom  Berlin 
doubts ! " 

He  withdrew  a  little  into  the  shadows,  his  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  box.  A  little  way  off,  in  the  stalls, 
Mrs.  Paston  Benedek  was  whispering  to  Baring. 
Further  back  in  the  Promenade,  Helda  was  enter- 
taining a  little  party  of  friends.  Selingman's  eyes 
remained  fixed  upon  Norgate.       , 


CHAPTER  XII 

Mrs.  Paston  Benedek,  on  the  following  afternoon, 
sat  in  one  comer  of  the  very  comfortable  lounge  set 
with  its  back  to  the  light  in  her  charming  drawing- 
room.     Norgate  sat  in  the  other. 

"  I  think  it  is  perfectly  sweet  of  you  to  come," 
she  declared.  "  I  do  not  care  how  many  enemies  I 
make  —  I  will  certainly  dine  with  you  to-night. 
How  I  shall  manage  it  I  do  not  yet  know.  You  shall 
call  for  me  here  at  eight  o'clock  —  or  say  a  quarter 
past,  then  we  need  not  hurry  away  too  early  from  the 
club.  If  Captain  Baring  is  there,  perhaps  it  would 
be  better  if  you  did  not  si>eak  of  our  engagement." 

Norgate  sighed. 

"  What  is  the  wonderful  attraction  about  Bar- 
ing? "  he  asked  discontentedly. 

"  Really,  there  isn't  any,"  she  replied.  "  I  like  to 
be  kind,  that  is  all.  I  do  not  like  to  hurt  anybody's 
feelings,  and  I  know  that  Captain  Baring  would  like 
very  much  to  dine  with  me  to-night  himself.  I  was 
obliged  to  throw  him  over  last  night  because  of  Mr. 
Selingman's  arrival." 

"  You  have  not  always  been  so  considerate,"  he 
persisted.  "  Why  this  especial  care  for  Baring's 
feelings  ?  " 

She  turned  her  head  a  little  towards  him.     She  was 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  93 

leaning  back  in  her  corner  of  the  lounge,  her  hands 
clasped  behind  her  head.  There  was  an  elaborate 
carelessness  about  her  pose  which  she  numbered 
among  her  best  effects. 

.  "  Perhaps,"  she  retorted,  "  I,  too,  find  your  sudden 
attraction  for  me  a  little  remarkable.  On  those  few 
occasions  when  you  did  honour  us  at  the  club  before 
you  left  for  Berlin,  you  were  agreeable  enough,  but  I 
do  not  remember  that  you  once  asked  me  to  dine  with 
you.     There  was  no  Captain  Baring  then." 

"  The  truth  is,"  Norgate  confessed,  "  since  I  re- 
turned, I  have  felt  rather  like  hiding  myself.  I  don't 
care  about  going  to  my  own  club  or  visiting  my  own 
friends.  I  came  to  the  St.  James's  as  a  sort  of  com- 
promise." 

"  You  are  not  very  flattering,"  she  complained. 

"  Wouldn't  you  rather  I  were  truthful  ?  "  asked 
Norgate.  "  One's  friends,  one's  real  friends,  are 
scarcely  likely  to  be  found  at  a  mixed  bridge  club." 

"After  that,"  she  sighed,  "  I  am  going  to  telephone 
to  Captain  Baring.  He,  at  any  rate,  is  in  love  with 
me,  and  I  need  something  to  restore  my  self-respect." 

"  In  love  with  you,  perhaps,  but  are  you  in  love 
with  him  ?  " 

She  laughed,  softly  at  first,  but  with  an  ever  more 
insistent  note  of  satire  underlying  her  mirth. 

*'  The  woman,"  she  said,  "  who  expects  to  get  any- 
thing out  of  life  worth  having,  doesn't  fall  in  love.. 
She  may  give  a  good  deal,  she  may  seem  to  give  every- 
thing, but  if  she  is  wise,  she  keeps  her  heart." 

"Poor  Baring!" 

"  Are  you  sure,"  she  asked,  fixing  her  brilliant  eyes 


94  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

upon  him,  "  that  he  needs  your  sympathy  ?  He  is 
very  much  in  love  with  me,  and  there  are  times  when 
I  could  almost  persuade  myself  that  I  am  in  love  with 
him.     At  any  rate,  he  attracts  me." 

Norgate  was  momentarily  sententious.  "  The  psy- 
chology of  love,"  he  murmured,  looking  into  the  fire, 
*'  is  a  queer  study." 

Once  more  she  laughed  at  him. 

"  Before  you  went  to  Berlin,"  she  said,  "  you  used 
not  to  talk  of  the  psychology  of  love.  Your  methods, 
so  far  as  I  remember  them,  were  a  little  different. 
Confess  now  —  you  fell  in  love  in  Berlin." 

Norgate  stifled  a  sudden  desire  to  confide  in  his 
companion. 

"  At  my  age !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  It  is  true  that  it  is  not  a  susceptible  age,"  Mrs. 
Benedek  admitted.  "  You  are  in  what  I  call  your 
mid-youth.  Mid-youth,  as  a  rule,  is  an  age  of  cyni- 
cism. As  you  grow  older,  you  will  appreciate  more 
the  luxury  of  emotion.  But  tell  me,  was  it  the  little 
Baroness  who  fascinated  you?  She  is  a  great 
beauty,  is  she  not  ?  " 

"  I  took  her  out  to  dinner,"  Norgate  observed. 
"  Therefore  I  suppose  it  was  my  duty  to  be  in  love 
with  her." 

"  Fancy  sharing  the  same  sofa,"  she  laughed, 
*'  with  a  rival  of  princes !  Do  you  know  that  the 
Baroness  Is  a  friend  of  mine.''  She  comes  sometimes 
to  London." 

*'  I  am  much  more  interested  in  your  love  affair," 
he  protested. 

"  And  I  find  far  more  interest  in  your  future," 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  95 

she  insisted.  "  Let  us  talk  sensibly,  like  good  friends 
and  companions.  What  are  you  going  to  do.'' 
They  will  not  treat  this  affair  seriously  at  the  Foreign 
Office  ?  They  cannot  think  that  you  were  to  blame  ?  " 
,  "  In  a  sense,  no,"  he  replied.  "  Diplomatically, 
however,  I  am,  from  their  point  of  view,  a  heinous 
offender.  I  rather  think  I  am  going  to  be  shelved  for 
six  months." 

"  Just  what  one  would  expect  from  this  horrible 
Government !  "  Mrs.  Benedek  exclaimed  indignantly. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  the  Government .''  "  he 
asked.  "  Are  you  taking  up  politics  as  well  as  the 
study  of  the  higher  auction.''  " 

She  sighed,  and  her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him  very 
earnestl}^  as  she  declared :  "  You  do  not  understand 
me,  my  friend.  You  never  did.  I  am  not  altogether 
frivolous ;  I  am  not  altogether  an  artist.  I  have  my 
serious  moments." 

"  Is  this  going  to  be  one  of  them?  " 

"  Don't  make  fun  of  me,  please,"  she  begged. 
"  You  are  like  so  many  Englishmen.  Directly  a 
woman  tries  to  talk  seriously,  you  will  push  her  back 
.  into  her  place.  You  like  to  treat  her  as  something  to 
I  frivol  with  and  make  love  to.  Is  it  your  amputi 
propre  which  is  wounded,  when  you  feel  sometimes 
forced  to  admit  that  she  has  as  clear  an  insight  into 
the  more  important  things  of  life  as  you  yourself?  " 

"  Do  you  talk  like  that  with  Baring?  "  he  asked. 

For  several  seconds  she  was  silent.  Her  eyes  had 
contracted  a  little.  She  seemed  to  be  seeking  for 
some  double  meaning  in  his  words. 

"  Captain  Baring  is  an  intelligent  man,"  she  said. 


96  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

*'  and  he  is  a  man,  too,  who  understands  his  own 
particular  subject.  Of  course  it  is  a  pleasure  to  talk 
to  him  about  it." 

"  I  thought  navy  men,  as  a  rule,"  he  remarked, 
*'  were  not  communicative." 

"  Do  you  call  it  communicative,"  she  enquired,  "  to 
discuss  the  subject  you  love  best  with  your  greatest 
friend?  But  let  us  not  talk  any  more  of  Captain 
Baring.  It  is  in  you  just  now  that  I  am  interested, 
you  and  your  future.  You  seem  to  think  that  your 
friends  at  the  Foreign  OflSce  are  not  going  to  find 
you  another  position  —  for  some  time,  at  any  rate. 
You  are  not  one  of  those  men  who  think  of  nothing 
but  sport  and  amusing  themselves.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  during  the  next  few  months  ?  " 

"  At  present,"  he  confessed  thoughtfully,  "  I  have 
only  the  vaguest  ideas.     Perhaps  you  could  help  me." 

"  Perhaps  I  could,"  she  admitted.  "  We  will  talk 
of  that  another  time,  if  you  like." 

It  was  obvious  that  she  was  speaking  under  a  cer- 
tain tension.  The  silence  which  ensued  was  signifi- 
cant. 

"  Why  not  now  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  It  is  too  soon,"  she  answered,  "  and  you  would 
not  understand.  I  might  say  things  to  you  which 
would  perhaps  end  our  friendship,  which  would  give 
you  a  wrong  impression.  No,  let  us  stay  just  as  we 
are  for  a  little  time." 

"  This  is  most  tantalising,"  grumbled  Norgate. 

She  leaned  over  and  patted  his  hand. 

"  Have  patience,  my  friend,"  she  whispered. 
^  The  great  things  come  to  those  who  wait." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  97 

An  interruption,  commonplace  enough,  yet  in  its 
way  startling,  checked  the  words  which  were  already 
upon  his  lips.  The  telephone  bell  from  the  little 
instrument  on  the  table  within  a  few  feet  of  them, 
rang  insistently.  For  a  moment  Mrs.  Benedek  her- 
self appeared  taken  by  surprise.  Then  she  raised* 
the  receiver  to  her  ear. 

"  My  friend,"  she  said  to  Norgate,  "  you  must 
excuse  me.  I  told  them  distinctly  to  disconnect  the 
instrument  so  that  it  rang  only  in  my  bedroom.  I 
am  disobeyed,  but  no  matter.     Who  is  that?  " 

Norgate  leaned  back  in  his  place.  His  com- 
panion's little  interjection,  however,  was  irresistible. 
He  glanced  towards  her.  There  was  a  slight  flush  of 
colour  in  her  cheeks,  her  head  was  moving  slowly  as 
though  keeping  pace  to  the  words  spoken  at  the 
other  end.     Suddenly  she  laughed. 

"  Do  not  be  so  foolish,"  she  said.  "  Yes,  of 
course.  You  keep  your  share  of  the  bargain  and 
I  mine.  At  eight  o'clock,  then.  I  will  say  no 
more  now,  as  I  am  engaged  with  a  visitor.  Au 
revoir!  " 

She  set  down  the  receiver  and  turned  towards  Nor- 
gate, who  was  turning  the  pages  of  an  illustrated 
paper.     She  made  a  little  grimace. 

"  Oh,  but  life  is  very  queer ! "  she  declared. 
"  How  I  love  it !  Now  I  am  going  to  make  you  look 
glum,  if  indeed  you  do  care  just  that  little  bit  which 
is  all  you  know  of  caring.  Perhaps  you  will  be  a 
little  disappointed.  Tell  me  that  you  are,  or  my 
vanity  will  be  hurt.  Listen  and  prepare.  To-night 
I  cannot  dine  with  you." 


98  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

He  turned  deliberately  around.  "  You  are  going 
to  throw  me  over?  "  he  demanded,  looking  at  her 
steadfastly. 

"  To  throw  you  over,  dear  friend,"  she  repeated 
cheerfully.  "  You  would  do  just  the  same,  if  you 
were  in  my  position." 

"  It  is  an  affair  of  duty,"  he  persisted,  "  or  the 
triumph  of  a  rival.''" 

She  made  a  grimace  at  him.  "  It  is  an  affair  of 
duty,"  she  admitted,  "  but  it  is  certainly  with  a  rival 
that  I  must  dine." 

He  moved  a  little  nearer  to  her  on  the  lounge. 

"  Tell  me  on  your  honour,"  he  said,  "  that  you  are 
not  dining  with  Baring,  and  I  will  forgive !  " 

For  a  moment  she  seemed  as  though  she  were  sum- 
moning all  her  courage  to  tell  the  lie  which  he  half 
expected.     Instead  she  changed  her  mind. 

"  Do  not  be  unkind,"  she  begged.  "  I  am  dining 
with  Captain  Baring.  The  poor  man  is  distracted. 
You  know  that  I  cannot  bear  to  hurt  people.  Be 
kind  this  once.  You  may  take  my  engagement  book, 
you  may  fill  it  up  as  you  will,  but  to-night  I  must  dine 
with  him.  Consider,  my  friend.  You  may  have 
many  months  before  you  in  London.  Captain  Bar- 
ing finishes  his  work  at  the  Admiralty  to-day,  and 
leaves  for  Portsmouth  to-morrow  morning.  He  may 
not  be  in  London  again  for  some  time.  I  promised 
him  long  ago  that  I  would  dine  with  him  to-night  on 
one  condition.  That  condition  he  is  keeping.  I 
cannot  break  my  word." 

Norgate  rose  gloomily  to  his  feet. 

"  Of  course,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  be  un- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  99 

reasonable,  and  any  one  can  see  the  poor  fellow  is 
head  over  ears  in  love  with  you." 

She  took  his  arm  as  she  led  him  towards  the  door. 

*'  Listen,"  she  promised,  laughing  into  his  face, 
"  when  you  are  as  much  in  love  with  me  as  he  is,  I 
will  put  off  every  other  engagement  I  have  in  the 
world,  and  I  will  dine  with  you.  You  understand? 
We  shall  meet  later  at  the  club,  I  hope.  Until  then, 
au  revoir!  " 

Norgate  hailed  a  taxi  outside  and  was  driven  at 
once  to  the  nearest  telephone  call  office.  There, 
after  some  search  in  the  directory,  he  rang  up  a  num- 
ber and  enquired  for  Captain  Baring.  There  was  a 
delay  of  about  five  minutes.  Then  Baring  spoke 
from  the  other  end  of  the  telephone. 

"  Who  is  it  wants  me  ?  "  he  enquired,  rather  im- 
patiently. 

"  Are  you  Baring?  "  Norgate  asked,  deepening 
his  voice  a  little. 

"Yes!     Who  are  you?" 

"  I  am  a  friend,"  Norgate  answered  slowly. 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  mean  by  *  a  friend  '  ?  " 
was  the  irritated  reply.  "  I  am  engaged  here  most 
particularly." 

"  There  can  be  nothing  so  important,"  Norgate 
declared,  "  as  the  warning  I  am  charged  to  give  to 
you.  Remember  that  it  is  a  friend  who  speaks. 
There  is  a  train  about  five  o'clock  to  Portsmouth. 
Your  work  is  finished.  Take  that  train  and  stay 
away  from  London." 

Norgate  set  down  the  receiver  without  listening  to 
the  tangle  of  exclamations  from  the  other  end,  and 


100  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

walked  quickly  out  of  the  shop.     He  re-entered  his 
taxi. 

"  The  St.  James's  Club,"  he  ordered. 

•L 


CHAPTER  Xin 

Norgate  found  Selingman  in  the  little  drawing- 
room  of  the  club,  reclining  in  an  easy-chair,  a  small 
cup  of  black  coffee  by  his  side.  He  appeared  to  be 
exceedingly  irate  at  the  performance  of  his  partner  in 
a  recent  rubber,  and  he  seized  upon  Norgate  as  a 
possibly  sympathetic  confidant. 

"  Listen  to  me  for  one  moment,"  he  begged,  "  and 
tell  me  whether  I  have  not  the  right  to  be  aggrieved. 
I  go  in  on  my  own  hand,  no  trump.  I  am  a  careful 
declarer.  I  play  here  every  day  when  I  am  in  Lon- 
don, and  they  know  me  well  to  be  a  careful  declarer. 
My  partner  —  I  do  not  know  his  name ;  I  hope  I 
shall  never  know  his  name;  I  hope  I  shall  never  see 
him  again  —  he  takes  me  out.  'Into  what.'"  you 
ask.  Into  diamonds!  I  am  regretful,  but  I  recog- 
nise, as  I  believe,  a  necessity.  I  ask  you,  of  what  do 
you  suppose  his  hand  consists.'^  Down  goes  my  no 
trump  on  the  table  —  a  good,  a  very  good  no  trump. 
He  has  in  his  hand  the  ace,  king,  queen  and  five  dia- 
monds, the  king  of  clubs  guarded,  the  ace  and  two 
little  hearts,  and  he  takes  me  out  into  diamonds  from 
no  trumps  with  a  score  at  love  all.  Two  pences  they 
had  persuaded  me  to  play,  too,  and  it  was  the  rubber 
game.  Afterwards  he  said  to  me :  '  You  seem  an- 
noyed ' ;  and  I  replied  '  I  am  annoyed,'  and  I  am.  I 
come  in  here  to  drink  coffee  and  cool  myself.     Pres- 


102  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

ently  I  will  cut  into  another  rubber,  where  that  young 
man  is  not.  Perhaps  our  friend  Mrs.  Benedek  will 
be  here.  You  and  I  and  Mrs.  Benedek,  but  not,  if 
we  can  help  it,  the  lady  who  smokes  the  small  black 
cigars.  She  is  very  amiable,  but  I  cannot  attend  to 
the  game  while  she  sits  there  opposite  to  me.  She 
fascinates  me.  In  Germany  sometimes  our  women 
smoke  cigarettes,  but  cigars,  and  in  public,  never ! " 

"  We'll  get  a  rubber  presently,  I  dare  say,"  Nor- 
gate  remarked,  settling  himself  in  an  easy-chair. 
*'  How's  business  ?  " 

"  Business  is  very  good,"  Selingman  declared. 
"  It  is  so  good  that  I  must  be  in  London  for  another 
week  or  so  before  I  set  off  to  the  provinces.  It  grows 
and  grows  all  the  time.  Soon  I  must  find  a  manager 
to  take  over  some  of  my  work  here.  At  my  time  of 
life  one  likes  to  enjoy.  I  love  to  be  in  London;  I  do 
not  like  these  journeys  to  Newcastle  and  Liverpool 
and  places  a  long  way  off.  In  London  I  am  happy. 
You  should  go  into  business,  young  man.  It  is  not 
well  for  you  to  do  nothing." 

"  Do  you  think  I  should  be  useful  in  the  crockery 
trade  ?  "  Norgate  asked. 

Herr  Selingman  appeared  to  take  the  enquiry  quite 
seriously. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  he  demanded.  "  You  are  well-edu- 
cated, you  have  address,  you  have  intelligence.  Mrs. 
Benedek  has  spoken  very  highly  of  you.  But  you  — 
oh,  no !  It  would  not  suit  you  at  all  to  plunge  your- 
self into  commerce,  nor  would  it  suit  you,  I  think, 
to  push  the  affairs  of  a  prosperous  German  concern. 
You  are  very  English,  Mr.  Norgate,  is  that  not  so  ?  '* 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  103 

"  Not  aggressively,'*  Norgate  replied.  "  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  am  rather  fed  up  with  my  own  coun- 
try just  now," 

Mr.  Selingman  sat  quite  still  in  his  chair.  Some 
signs  of  a  change  which  came  to  him  occasionally 
were  visible  in  his  face.  He  was  for  that  moment  no 
longer  the  huge,  overgrown  schoolboy  bubbling  over 
with  the  joy  and  appetite  of  life.  His  face  seemed 
to  have  resolved  itself  into  sterner  lines.  It  was  the 
face  of  a  thinker. 

"  There  are  other  Englishmen  besides  you,"  Seling- 
man said,  "  who  are  a  little  —  what  you  call '  fed  up  ' 
with  your  country.  You  have  much  common  sense. 
You  do  not  believe  that  yours  is  the  only  country 
in  the  world.  You  like  sometimes  to  hear  plain 
speech  from  one  who  knows  ?  " 

"  Without  a  doubt,"  Norgate  assented. 

Mr.  Selingman  stroked  his  knee  with  his  fat  hand. 

"  You  in  England,"  he  continued,  "  you  are  too 

prosperous.     Yery,  very  slowly  the  country  is  drift^ 

in^^into  the  hands  of  the  people.     A  country  that_is 
governed  entirely  by  the  people  goes  down,  down, 
doffn—  -Your  classes  are  losing  their  hold  and  their    ( 
influence.     You.bave  gone  from  Tory  to  Whig»  frojoi    [ 
Whig  to  Liberalj  _f rom  Liberal  to  Radical,  and  soon     i 
it  will, be  the  Socialists  who  govern.     You  know  what     \ 
will  come  then?     Colonies!     What  do  your  radicals 
care  about  colonies  ?     Institutions !     What  do  they 
care  about  institutions.''     All  you  who  have  inherited 
money,  they  will  bleed.     You  will  become  worse  than 
a  nation  of  shop-keepers.     You  will  be  an  illustra- 
tion to  all  the  world  of  the  dangers  of  democracy. 


104  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

So !  I  go  on.  I  tell  you  why  that  comes  about. 
You  are  in  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  you  will  not 
do  as  Europe  does.  You  are  a  nation  outside.  You 
have  believed  in  yourselves  and  believed  in  yourselves, 
till  you  think  that  you  are  infallible.  Before  long 
will  come  the  revolution.  It  will  be  a  worse  revolu- 
tion than  the  French  Revolution." 

Norgate  smiled.  "  Too  much  common  sense  about 
us,  I  think,  Mr.  Selingman,  for  such  happenings," 
he  declared.  "  I  grant  you  that  the  classes  are 
getting  the  worst  of  it  so  far  as  regards  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country,  but  I  can't  quite  see  the  future 
that  you  depict." 

*'  Good  Englishman !  "  Herr  Selingman  murmured 
approvingly.  "  That  is  your  proper  attitude.  You 
do.  not  see  because  you  will  not  see.  I  tell  you  that 
the  best  thing  in  all  the  world  would  be  a  little  blood- 
letting. You  do  not  like  your  Government.  Would 
it  not  please  you  to  see  them  humiliated  just  a  little.?  " 

"  In  what  way .''  " 

"  Oh  1  there  are  ways,"  Selingman  declared.  "  A 
little  gentle  smack  like  this," —  his  two  hands  came 
together  with  a  crash  which  echoed  through  the  room 
— "  a  little  smack  from  Germany  would  do  the  busi- 
ness. People  would  open  their  eyes  and  begin  to 
understand.  A  Radical  Government  may  fill  your 
factories  with  orders  and  rob  the  rich  to  increase  the 
prosperity  of  the  poor,  but  it  will  not  keep  you  a 
great  nation  amongst  the  others." 

Norgate  nodded. 

"  You  seem  to  have  studied  the  question  pretty 
closely,"  he  remarked. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  105 

"  I  study  the  subject  closely,"  Selingman  went  on, 
*'  because  my  interests  are  yours.  My  profits  are 
made  in  England.  I  am  German  born,  but  I  am 
English,  too,  in  feeling.  To  me  the  two  nations  are 
one..  We  are  of  the  same  race.  That  is  why  I  am 
sorrowful  when  I  see  England  slipping  back.  That 
is  why  I  would  like  to  see  her  have  just  a  little  lesson." 

Selingman  paused.  Norgate  rose  to  his  feet  and 
stood  on  the  hearthrug,  with  his  elbow  upon  the  man- 
telpiece. 

"  Twice  we  have  come  as  far  as  that,  Mr.  Seling- 
man," he  pointed  out.  "  England  requires  a  little 
lesson.  You  have  something  in  your  mind  behind 
that,  something  which  you  are  half  inclined  to  say 
to  me.     Isn't  that  so.f*     Why  not  go  on?  " 

"  Because  I  am  not  sure  of  you,"  Selingman  con- 
fessed frankly.  **  Because  you  might  misunderstand 
what  I  say,  and  we  should  be  friends  no  longer,  and 
you  would  say  silly  things  about  me  and  my  views. 
Therefore,  I  like  to  keep  you  for  a  friend,  and  I  go 
no  further  at  present.  You  say  that  you  are  a  little 
angry  with  your  country,  but  you  Englishmen  are  so 
very  prejudiced,  so  very  quick  to  take  offence,  so 
very  insular,  if  I  may  use  the  word.  I  do  not  know 
how  angry  you  are  with  your  country.  I  do  not 
know  if  your  mind  is  so  big  and  broad  that  you  would 
be  willing  to  see  her  suffer  a  little  for  her  greater 
good.     Ah,  but  the  lady  comes  at  last !  " 

Mrs.  Benedek  was  accompanied  by  a  tall,  middle- 
aged  man,  of  fair  complexion,  whom  Selingman 
greeted  with  marked  respect.  She  turned  to  Nor- 
gate. 


io6  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Let  me  present  you,"  she  said,  "  to  Prince  Ed- 
ward of  Lenemaur  —  Mr.  Francis  Norgate." 

The  two  men  shook  hands. 

"  I  played  golf  with  you  once  at  Woking,"  Nor- 
gate reminded  his  new  acquaintance. 

"  I  not  only  remember  it,"  Prince  Edward  an- 
swered, "  but  I  remember  the  result.  You  beat  me 
three  up,  and  we  were  to  have  had  a  return,  but  you 
had  to  leave  for  Paris  on  the  next  day." 

"  You  will  be  able  to  have  your  return  match 
now,"  Mrs.  Benedek  observed.  "  Mr.  Norgate  is 
going  to  be  in  England  for  some  time.  Let  us  play 
bridge.  I  have  to  leave  early  to-night  —  I  am  dining 
out  —  and  I  should  like  to  make  a  little  money." 

They  strolled  into  the  bridge-room.  Selingman 
hung  behind  with  Norgate. 

"  Soon,"  he  suggested,  "  we  must  finish  our  talk, 
is  it  not  so.^*  Dine  with  me  to-night.  Mrs.  Benedek 
has  deserted  me.  We  will  eat  at  the  Milan  Grill. 
The  cooking  there  is  tolerable,  and  they  have  some 
Rhine  wine  —  but  you  shall  taste  it," 

"  Thank  you,"  Norgate  assented,  "  I  shall  be  very 
pleased." 

They  played  three  or  four  rubbers.  Then  Mrs. 
Benedek  glanced  at  the  clock. 

"  I  must  go,"  she  announced.  "  I  am  dining  at 
eight  o'clock." 

"  Stay  but  for  one  moment,"  Selingman  begged. 
"  We  will  all  take  a  little  mixed  vermouth  together. 
I  shall  tell  the  excellent  Horton  how  to  prepare  it. 
Plenty  of  lemon-peel,  and  just  a  dash  —  but  I  will 
not  give  my  secret  away." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  107 

He  called  the  steward  and  whispered  some  instruc- 
tions in  his  ear.  While  they  were  waiting  for  the 
result,  a  man  came  in  with  an  evening  paper  in  his 
hand.  He  looked  across  the  room  to  a  table  beyond 
that  at  which  Norgate  and  his  friends  were  playing. 

*'  Heard  the  news,  Monty  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No  !     What  is  it  ?  "  was  the  prompt  enquiry. 

"  Poor  old  Baring  — " 

The  newcomer  stopped  short.  For  the  first  time 
he  noticed  Mrs.  Benedek.  She  half  rose  from  her 
chair,  however,  and  her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him. 

"  What  is  it .''  "  she  exclaimed.  "  What  has  hap- 
pened? " 

There  was  a  moment's  awkward  silence.  Mrs. 
Benedek  snatched  the  paper  away  from  the  man's 
fingers  and  read  the  little  paragraph  out  aloud.  For 
a  moment  she  was  deathly  white. 

"What  is  it?"  Selingman  demanded. 

"  Freddy  Baring,"  she  whispered  — "  Captain 
Baring  —  shot  himself  in  his  room  at  the  Admiralty 
this  afternoon !  Some  one  telephoned  to  him.  Five 
minutes  later  he  was  found  —  dead  —  a  bullet  wound 
through  his  temple!  .  .  .  Give  me  my  chair,  please. 
I  think  that  I  am  going  to  faint."    ZL 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Selingman  and  Norgate  dined  together  that  even- 
ing in  a  comer  of  a  large,  popular  grill-room  near 
the  Strand.  They  were  still  suffering  from  the  shock 
of  the  recent  tragedy.  They  both  rather  avoided 
the  topic  of  Baring's  sudden  death.  Selingman  made 
but  one  direct  allusion  to  it. 

"  Only  yesterday,"  he  remarked,  "  I  said  to  little 
Bertha  —  I  have  known  her  so  long  that  I  call  her 
always  Bertha  —  that  this  bureau  work  was  bad  for 
Baring.  When  I  was  over  last,  a  few  months  ago, 
he  was  the  picture  of  health.  Yesterday  he  looked 
wild  and  worried.  He  was  at  work  with  others,  they 
say,  at  the  Admiralty  upon  some  new  invention. 
Poor  fellow !  " 

Norgate,  conscious  of  a  curious  callousness  which 
even  he  himself  found  inexplicable,  made  some  con- 
ventional reply  only.  Selingman  began  to  talk  of 
other  matters. 

"  Truly,"  he  observed,  "  a  visit  to  your  country  is 
good  for  the  patriotic  German.  Behold!  here  in 
London,  we  are  welcomed  by  a  German  mcutre 
d'hotel;  we  are  waited  on  by  a  German  waiter;  we 
drink  German  wine ;  we  eat  off  what  I  very  well  know 
is  German  crockery." 

"  And  some  day,  I  suppose,"  Norgate  put  in,  "  we 
are  to  be  German  subjects.     Isn't  that  so?  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  109 

Selingman's  denial  was  almost  unduly  emphatic. 

*'  Never !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  There  is  nothing  so 
foolish  as  the  way  many  of  you  English  seem  to  re- 
gard us  Germans  as  though  we  were  wild  beasts  of 
prey.  Now  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  talk  with  a  man 
like  yourself,  Mr.  Norgate.  I  like  to  look  a  little 
into  the  future  and  speculate  as  to  our  two  countries. 
Above  all  things,  this  thing  I  do  truly  know.  The 
German  nation  stands  for  peace.  Yet  in  order  that 
peace  shall  everywhere  prevail,  a  small  war,  a 
humanely-conducted  war,  may  sometime  within  the 
future,  one  must  believe,  take  place.  It  would  last 
but  a  short  time,  but  it  might  lead  to  great  changes. 
I  have  sometimes  thought,  my  young  friend  Norgate, 
that  such  a  war  might  be  the  greatest  blessing  which 
England  could  ever  experience." 

"  As  a  discipline,  you  mean?  "  Norgate  murmured. 

**  As  a  cleansing  tqnic,"  Selingman  declared.  "  It 
would  sweep  out  your  Radical  Government.  It 
would  bring  the  classes  back  to  power^  It  would 
kindle  in  the  spirits  of  your  coming  generation  the 
spark  of  that  patriotism  which  is,  alas !  just  now  a 
very  feeble  flame.  What  do  you  think?  You  agree 
with  me,  eh?  " 

"  It  is  going  a  long  way,"  Norgate  said  cautiously, 
"  to  approve  of  a  form  of  discipline  so  stringent." 

*'  But  not  too  far  —  oh,  believe  me,  not  too  far !  " 
Selingman  insisted.  "  If  that  war  should  come,  it 
would  come  solely  with  the  idea  of  sweeping  away  this 
Government,  which  is  most  distasteful  to  all  German 
politicians.  It  would  come  solely  with  the  idea  that 
with  a  new  form  of  government  here,  more  solid  and 


no  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

lasting  terms  of  friendship  could  be  arranged  be- 
tween Germany  and  England," 

"  A  very  interesting  theory,"  Norgate  remarked. 
*'  Do  you  believe  in  it  yourself?  " 

Selingman  paused  to  give  an  order  to  a  waiter. 
His  tone  suddenly  became  more  serious.  He  pointed 
to  the  menu. 

"  They  have  dared,"  he  exclaimed,  "  to  bring  us 
Hollandaise  sauce  with  the  asparagus !  A  gastro- 
nomic indignity!  It  is  such  things  as  this  which 
would  endanger  the  entente  between  our  countries." 

"  I  don't  mind  Hollandaise"  Norgate  ventured. 

"  Then  of  eating  you  know  very  little,"  Herr 
Selingman  pronounced.  *'  There  is  only  one  sauce 
to  be  served  with  asparagus,  and  that  is  finely  drawn 
butter.  I  have  explained  to  the  maitre  d'hotel.  He 
must  bring  us  what  I  desire.  Meanwhile,  we  spoke, 
I  think,  of  our  two  countries.  You  asked  me  a  ques- 
tion. I  do  indeed  believe  in  the  theories  which  I  have 
been  advancing." 

"  But  wouldn't  a  war  smash  up  your  crockery 
business  ?  "  Norgate  asked. 

"  For  six  months,  yes  !  And  after  that  six  months, 
fortunes  for  all  of  us,  trade  such  as  the  world  has 
never  known,  a  settled  peace,  a  real  union  between 
two  great  and  friendly  countries.  I  wish  England 
well,  I  love  England.  I  love  my  holidays  over  here, 
my  business  trips  which  are  holidays  in  themselves, 
and  for  their  sake  and  for  my  own  sake,  I  say  that 
just  a  little  wrestle,  a  slap  on  the  cheek  from  one 
and  a  punch  on  the  nose  from  the  other,  and  we 
should  find  ourselves." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  iix 

"  War  is  a  very  dangerous  conflagration,"  Nor- 
gate  remarked.  "  I  cannot  think  of  any  experiment 
more  hazardous." 

"  It  is  no  experiment,"  Selingman  declared.  "  It 
is  a  certainty.  All  that  we  do  in  my  country,  we  do 
by  what  we  call  previously  ascertained  methods. 
We  test  the  ground  in  front  of  us  before  we  plant  our 
feet  upon  it.  We  not  only  look  into  the  future,  but 
we  stretch  out  our  hands.  We  make  the  doubtful 
places  sure.  Our  turn  of  mind  is  scientific.  Our 
road-making  and  our  bridge-building,  our  empire- 
making  and  our  diplomacy,  they  are  all  fashioned  in 
the  same  manner.  If  you  could  trust  us,  Mr.  Nor- 
gate,  if  you  could  trust  yourself  to  work  for  the 
good  of  both  countries,  we  could  make  very  good  and 
profitable  use  of  you  during  the  next  six  months. 
Would  you  like  to  hear  more?  " 

**  But  I  know  nothing  about  crockery !  " 

"Would  you  like  to  hear  more.'*"  Selingman  re- 
peated. 

"  I  think  I  should." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  Selingman  proceeded.  "  To- 
morrow we  will  talk  of  it.  There  are  some  ways  in 
which  you  might  be  very  useful,  useful  at  the  same 
time  to  your  country  and  to  ours.  Your  position 
might  be  somewhat  peculiar,  but  that  you  would  be 
prepared  for  a  short  time  to  tolerate." 

"Peculiar  in  what  respect?"  Norgate  asked. 

Selingman  held  his  glass  of  yellow  wine  up  to  the 
light  and  criticised  it  for  a  moment.  He  set  it  down 
empty. 

"  Peculiar,"  he  explained,  "  inasmuch  as  you  might 


112  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

seem  to  be  working  with  Germany,  whereas  you  were 
really  England's  best  friend.  But  let  us  leave  these 
details  until  to-morrow.  We  have  talked  enough  of 
serious  matters.  I  have  a  box  at  the  Gaiety,  and  we 
must  not  be  late  —  also  a  supper  party  afterwards. 
This  is  indeed  a  country  for  enjoyment.  To-morrow 
we  speak  of  these  things  again.  You  have  seen  our 
little  German  lady  at  the  Gaiety?  You  have  heard 
her  sing  and  watch  her  dance.''  Well,  to-night  you 
shall  meet  her." 

"  Rosa  Morgen.?  "  Norgate  exclaimed. 

Selingman  nodded  complacently. 

"  She  sups  with  us,"  he  announced,  "  she  and  oth- 
ers. That  is  why,  when  they  spoke  to  me  of  going 
back  for  bridge  to-night,  I  pretended  that  I  did  not 
hear.  Bridge  is  very  good,  but  there  are  other 
things.  To-night  I  am  in  a  frivolous  vein.  I  have 
many  friends  amongst  the  young  ladies  of  the  Gaiety. 
You  shall  see  how  they  will  welcome  me." 

"  You  seem  to  have  found  your  way  about  over 
here,"  Norgate  remarked,  as  he  lit  a  cigar  and 
waited  while  his  companion  paid  the  bill. 

"  I  am  a  citizen  of  the  world,"  Selingman  admit- 
ted. "  I  enjoy  myself  as  I  go,  but  I  have  my  eyes 
always  fixed  upon  the  future.  I  make  many  friends, 
and  I  do  not  lose  them.  I  set  my  face  towards  the 
pleasant  places,  and  I  keep  it  in  that  direction.  It 
is  the  cult  of  some  to  be  miserable ;  it  is  mine  to  be 
happy.  The  person  who  does  most  good  in  the 
world  is  the  person  who  reflects  the  greatest  amount 
of  happiness.  Therefore,  I  am  a  philanthropist. 
You  shall  learn  from  me,  my  young  friend,  how  to 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  113 

banish  some  of  that  gloom  from  your  face.  You 
shall  learn  how  to  find  happiness." 

They  made  their  way  across  to  the  Gaiety,  where 
Selingman  was  a  very  conspicuous  figure  in  the  larg- 
est and  most  conspicuous  box.  He  watched  with 
complacency  the  delivery  of  enormous  bouquets  to 
the  principal  artistes,  and  received  their  little  bow  of 
thanks  with  spontaneous  and  unaffected  gracious- 
ness.  Afterwards  he  dragged  Norgate  round  to  the 
stage-door,  installed  him  in  a  taxi,  and  handed  over 
to  his  escort  two  or  three  of  his  guests. 

"  I  entrust  you,  Mr.  Norgate,"  he  declared,  "  with 
our  one  German  export  more  wonderful,  even,  than 
my  crockery  —  Miss  Rosa  Morgen.  Take  good  care 
of  her  and  bring  her  to  th^  Milan.  The  other  young 
ladies  are  my  honoured  guests,  but  they  are  also  Miss 
Morgen's.  She  will  tell  you  their  names.  I  have 
others  to  look  after." 

Norgate's  last  glimpse  of  Selingman  was  on  the 
pavement  outside  the  theatre,  surrounded  by  a  lit- 
tle group  of  light-hearted  girls  and  a  few  young 
men. 

"  He  is  perfectly  wonderful,  our  Mr.  Selingman," 
Miss  Morgen  murmured,  as  they  started  off.  "  Tell 
me  how  long  you  have  known  him,  Mr.  Norgate  ?  " 

"  Four  days,"  Norgate  replied. 

She  screamed  with  laughter. 

"  It  is  so  like  him,"  she  declared.  "  He  makes 
friends  everywhere.  A  day  is  sufficient.  He  gives 
such  wonderful  parties.  I  do  not  know  why  we  all 
like  to  come,  but  we  do.  I  suppose  that  we  all  get 
half-a-dozen  invitations  to  supper  most  nights,  but 


114  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

there  is  not  one  of  us  who  does  not  put  off  everything 
to  sup  with  Mr.  Selingman.  He  sits  in  the  middle 
—  oh,  you  shall  watch  him  to-night !  —  and  what  he 
says  I  do  not  know,  but  we  laugh,  and  then  we  laugh 
again,  and  every  one  is  happy." 

"  I  think  he  is  the  most  irresistible  person,"  Nor- 
gate  agreed.  "  I  met  him  two  or  three  nights  ago, 
coming  over  from  Berlin,  and  he  spoke  of  nothing 
but  crockery  and  politics.  To-night  I  dine  with  him, 
and  I  find  a  different  person." 

"  He  is  a  perfect  dear,"  one  of  the  other  girls  ex- 
claimed, "  but  so  curiously  inquisitive !  I  have  a 
great  friend,  a  gunner,  whom  I  brought  with  me  to 
one  of  his  parties,  and  he  is  always  asking  me  ques- 
tions about  him  and  his  work.  I  had  to  absolutely 
worry  Dick  so  as  to  be  able  to  answer  all  his  ques- 
tions, didn't  I,  Rosa.?  " 

Miss  Morgen  nodded  a  little  guardedly. 

"  I  should  not  call  him  really  inquisitive,"  she  said. 
"  It  is  because  he  likes  to  seem  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject which  interests  you." 

"  I  am  not  at  all  sure  whether  that  is  true,"  the 
other  young  lady  objected.  "You  remember  when 
Ellison  Gray  was  always  around  with  us?  Why,  I 
know  that  Mr.  Selingman  simply  worried  Maud's 
life  out  of  her  to  get  a  little  model  of  his  aeroplane 
from  him.  There  were  no  end  of  things  he  wanted  to 
know  about  cubic  feet  and  dimensions.  He  is  a  dear, 
all  the  same." 

"  A  perfect  dear !  "  the  others  echoed. 

They  drew  up  outside  the  Milan.  Rosa  Morgen 
turned  to  their  escort. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  115 

"  We  will  meet  you  in  the  hall  in  five  minutes,"  she 
said.  "  Then  we  can  all  go  together  and  find  Mr. 
Selingman."  ^ 


CHAPTER  XV 

Selingman's  supper  party  was  in  some  respects 
both  distinctive  and  unusual.  Norgate,  looking 
around  him,  thought  that  he  had  never  in  his  life 
been  among  such  a  motley  assemblage  of  people. 
There  were  eight  or  nine  musical  comedy  young 
ladies ;  a  couple  of  young  soldiers,  one  of  whom  he 
knew  slightly,  who  had  arrived  as  escorts  to  two  of 
the  young  ladies;  Prince  Edward  of  Lenemaur;  a 
youthful  peer,  who  by  various  misdemeanours  had 
placed  himself  outside  the  pale  of  any  save  the  most 
Bohemian  society,  and  several  other  men  whose  faces 
were  unfamiliar.  They  occupied  a  round  table  just 
inside  the  door  of  the  restaurant,  and  they  sat  there 
till  long  after  the  lights  were  lowered.  The  conversa- 
tion all  the  time  was  of  the  most  general  and  frivo- 
lous description,  and  Selingman,  as  the  hour  grew 
later,  seemed  to  grow  larger  and  redder  and  more 
joyous.  The  only  hint  at  any  serious  conversation 
came  from  the  musical  comedy  star  who  sat  at  Nor- 
gate's  left. 

"  Do  you  know  our  host  very  well  ?  "  she  asked 
Norgate  once. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  can't  say  that  I  know  him  well  at 
all,"  Norgate  replied.  "  I  met  him  in  the  train  com- 
ing from  Berlin,  a  few  nights  ago." 

"  He  is  the  most  original  person,"  she  declared. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  117 

**  He  entertains  whenever  he  has  a  chance ;  he  makes 
new  friends  every  hour ;  he  eats  and  drinks  and  seems 
always  to  be  enjoying  himself  like  an  overgrown 
baby.  And  yet,  all  the  time  there  is  such  a  very 
serious  side  to  him.  One  feels  that  he  has  a  purpose 
in  it  aU." 

"  Perhaps  he  has,"  Norgate  ventured. 

"  Perhaps  he  has,"  she  agreed,  lowering  her  voice 
a  little.  "  At  least,  I  believe  one  thing.  I  believe 
that  he  is  a  good  German  and  yet  a  great  friend  of 
England." 

"You  don't  find  the  two  incompatible,  then.?" 

**  I  do  not,"  the  young  lady  replied  firmly.  "  I  do 
not  understand  everything,  of  course,  but  I  am  half 
German  and  half  English,  so  I  can  appreciate  both 
sides,  and  I  do  believe  that  Mr.  Selingman,  if  he  had 
not  been  so  immersed  in  his  business,  might  have  been 
a  great  politician." 

The  conversation  drifted  into  other  channels. 
Norgate  was  obliged  to  give  some  attention  to  the 
more  frivolous  young  lady  on  his  right.  The  gen- 
eral exodus  to  the  bar  smoking-room  only  took  place 
long  after  midnight.  Every  one  was  speaking  of 
going  on  to  a  supper  club  to  dance,  and  Norgate 
quietly  slipped  away.  He  took  a  hurried  leave  of  his 
host. 

"  You  will  excuse  me,  won't  you  ?  "  he  begged. 
*'  Enjoyed  my  evening  tremendously.  I'd  like  you  to 
come  and  dine  with  me  one  night." 

"  We  will  meet  at  the  club  to-morrow  afternoon," 
Selingman  declared.  "  But  why  not  come  on  with  us 
now?     You  are  not  weary?     They  are  taking  me  to 


ii8  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

a  supper  club,  these  young  people.  I  have  engaged 
myself  to  dance  with  Miss  Morgen  —  I,  who  weigh 
nineteen  stone!  It  will  be  a  thing  to  see.  Come 
with  us." 

Norgate  excused  himself  and  left  the  place  a  mo- 
ment later.  It  was  a  fine  night,  and  he  walked  slowly 
towards  Pall  Mall,  deep  in  thought.  Outside  one 
of  the  big  clubs  on  the  right-hand  side,  a  man  de- 
scended from  a  taxicab  just  as  Norgate  was  passing. 
They  almost  ran  into  one  another. 

"  Norgate,  you  reprobate !  " 

"  Hebblethwaite !  " 

The  latter  passed  his  arm  through  the  young 
man's  and  led  him  towards  the  club  steps. 

"  Come  in  and  have  a  drink,"  he  invited.  "  I  am 
just  up  from  the  House.  I  do  wish  you  could  get 
some  of  your  military  friends  to  stop  worrying  us, 
Norgate.  Two  hours  to-night  have  been  absolutely 
wasted  because  they  would  talk  National  Service  and 
heckle  us  about  the  territorials." 

"  I'U  have  the  drink,  although  heaven  knows  I 
don't  need  any ! "  Norgate  replied.  "  As  for  the 
rest,  I  am  all  on  the  side  of  the  hecklers.  You  ought 
to  know  that." 

They  drew  two  easy-chairs  together  in  a  comer 
of  the  great,  deserted  smoking-room,  and  Hebble- 
thwaite ordered  the  whiskies  and  sodas. 

"  Yes,"  he  remarked,  "  I  forgot.  You  are  on  the 
other  side,  aren't  you.''  I  haven't  a  word  to  say 
against  the  navy.  We  spend  more  money  than  is 
necessary  upon  it,  and  I  stick  out  for  economy  when- 
ever I  can.     But  as  regards  the  army,  my  theory  is 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  ng 

that  it  is  useless.  It's  only  a  temptation  to  us  to 
meddle  in  things  that  don't  concern  us.  The  navy 
is  sufficient  to  defend  these  shores,  if  any  one  were 
foolish  enough  to  wish  to  attack  us.  If  we  need 
an  army  at  all,  we  should  need  one  ten  times  the  size, 
but  we  don't.  Nature  has  seen  to  that.  Yet  to- 
night, when  I  was  particularly  anxious  to  get  on  with 
some  important  domestic  legislation,  we  had  to  sit 
and  listen  to  hours  of  prosy  military  talk,  the  pos- 
sibilities of  this  and  that.  They  don't  realise,  these 
brain-fogged  ex-military  men,  that  we  are  living  in 
days  of  common  sense.  Before  many  years  have 
passed,  war  will  belong  to  the  days  of  romance." 

"  For  a  practical  politician,  Hebblethwaite,"  Nor- 
gate  pronounced,  "  you  have  some  of  the  rottenest 
ideas  I  ever  knew.  You  know  perfectly  well  that  if 
Germany  attacked  France,  we  are  almost  committed 
to  chip  in.  We  couldn't  sit  still,  could  we,  and  see 
Calais  and  Boulogne,  Dieppe  and  Ostend,  fortified 
against  us  ?  " 

"  If  Germany  should  attack  France ! "  Hebble- 
thwaite repeated.  "  If  Prussia  should  send  an  expe- 
ditionary force  to  Cornwall^  or  the  Siamese  should 
declare  themselves  on  the  side  of  the  Ulster  men! 
We  must  keep  in  politics  to  possibilities  that  are  rea~ 
sonable." 

"  Take  another  view  of  the  same  case,  then,"  Nor- 
gate  continued.  "  Supposing  Germany  should  vio- 
late Belgium's  independence?  " 

"  You  silly  idiot !  "  Hebblethwaite  exclaimed,  as  he 
took  a  long  draught  of  his  whisky  and  soda,  lit  a 
cigar,  and  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  "  the  neutrality 


120  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

of  Belgium  is  guaranteed  by  a  treaty,  actually  signed 
by  Germany !  " 

"  Supposing  she  should  break  her  treaty?  "  Nor- 
gate  persisted.  "  I  told  you  what  I  heard  in  the 
train  the  other  night.  It  isn't  for  nothing  that  that 
sort  of  work  is  going  on." 

Hebblethwaite  shook  his  head. 

"  You  are  incorrigible,  Norgate !  Germany  is  one 
of  the  Powers  of  Europe  undoubtedly  possessing  a 
high  sense  of  honour  and  rectitude  of  conduct.  If 
any  nation  possesses  a  national  conscience,  and  an 
appreciation  of  national  ethics,  they  do.  Germany 
would  be  less  likely  than  any  nation  in  the  world  to 
break  a  treaty." 

"  Hebblethwaite,"  Norgate  declared  solemnly,  "  if 
you  didn't  understand  the  temperament  and  charac- 
ter of  your  constituents  better  than  you  do  the  Ger- 
man temperament  and  character,  you  would  never 
have  set  your  foot  across  the  threshold  of  West- 
minster. The  fact  of  it  is  you're  a  domestic  politi- 
cian of  the  very  highest  order,  but  as  regards  foreign 
affairs  and  the  greater  side  of  international  politics, 
well,  all  I  can  say  is  you've  as  little  grasp  of  them 
as  a  local  mayor  might  have." 

"  Look  here,  young  fellow,"  Hebblethwaite  pro- 
tested, "  do  you  know  that  you  are  talking  to  a  Cabi- 
net Minister  ?  " 

"  To  a  very  possible  Prime  Minister,"  Norgate 
replied,  "  but  I  am  going  to  tell  you  what  I  think, 
all  the  same.  I'm  fed  up  with  you  all.  I  bring  you 
some  certain  and  sure  information,  proving  conclu- 
sively that  Germany  is  maintaining  an  extraordinary 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  121 

system  of  espionage  over  here,  and  you  tell  me  to 
mind  my  own  business.  I  tell  you,  Hebblethwaite, 
you  and  your  Party  are  thundering  good  legislators, 
but  you'll  ruin  the  country  before  you've  finished. 
I've  had  enough.  It  seems  to  me  we  thoroughly  de- 
serve the  shaking  up  we're  going  to  get.  I  am  going 
to  turn  German  spy  myself  and  work  for  the  other 
side." 

"  You  do,  if  there's  anything  in  it,"  Hebblethwaite 
retorted,  with  a  grin.  "  I  promise  we  won't  arrest 
you.  You  shall  hop  around  the  country  at  your 
own  sweet  will,  preach  Teutonic  doctrines,  and  pave 
the  way  for  the  coming  of  the  conquerors.  You'll 
have  to  keep  away  from  our  arsenals  and  our  flying 
places,  because  our  Service  men  are  so  prejudiced. 
Short  of  that  you  can  do  what  you  like." 

Norgate  finished  his  cigar  in  silence.  Then  he 
threw  the  end  into  the  fireplace,  finished  his  whisky 
and  soda,  and  rose. 

"  Hebblethwaite,"  he  said,  "  this  is  the  second  time 
you've  treated  me  like  this.  I  shall  give  you  another 
chance.  There's  just  one  way  I  may  be  of  use,  and 
I  am  going  to  take  it  on.  If  I  get  into  trouble  about 
it,  it  will  be  your  fault,  but  next  time  I  come  and 
talk  with  you,  you'll  have  to  listen  to  me  if  I  shove 
the  words  down  your  throat.     Good  night !  " 

"  Good  night,  Norgate,"  Hebblethwaite  replied 
pleasantly.  "  What  you  want  is  a  week  or  two's 
change  somewhere,  to  get  this  anti-Teuton  fever  out 
of  your  veins.  I  think  we'll  send  you  to  Tokyo  and 
let  you  have  a  turn  with  the  geishas  in  the  cherry 
groves." 


122  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  wouldn't  go  out  for  your  Government,  any- 
way," Norgate  declared.  "  I've  given  you  fair  warn- 
ing. I  am  going  in  on  the  other  side.  I'm  fed  up 
with  the  England  you  fellows  represent." 

"  Nice  breezy  sort  of  chap  you  are  for  a  pal ! " 
Hebblethwaite  grumbled.  "  Well,  get  along  with 
you,  then.  Come  and  look  me  up  when  you're  in  a 
better  humour." 

"  I  shall  probably  find  you  in  a  worse  one,"  Nor- 
gate retorted.     "  Good  night !  " 

It  was  one  o'clock  when  Norgate  let  himself  into 
his  rooms.  To  his  surprise,  the  electric  lights  were 
burning  in  his  sitting-room.  He  entered  a  little 
abruptly  and  stopped  short  upon  the  threshold.  A 
slim  figure  in  dark  travelling  clothes,  with  veil  pushed 
back,  was  lying  curled  up  on  his  sofa.  She  stirred 
a  little  at  his  coming,  opened  her  eyes,  and  looked  at 
him. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Throughout  those  weeks  and  months  of  tangled, 
lurid  sensations,  of  amazing  happenings  which  were 
yet  to  come,  Norgate  never  once  forgot  that  illumi- 
native rush  of  fierce  yet  sweet  feelings  which  sud- 
denly thrilled  his  pulses.  He  understood  in  that 
moment  the  intolerable  depression  of  the  last  few 
days.  He  realised  the  absolute  advent  of  the  one 
experience  hitherto  missing  from  his  life.  The  very 
intensity  of  his  feelings  kept  him  silent,  kept  him  un- 
responsive to  her  impetuous  but  unspoken  welcome. 
Her  arms  dropped  to  her  side,  her  lips  for  a  moment 
quivered.  Her  voice,  notwithstanding  her  efforts  to 
control  it,  shook  a  little.  She  was  no  longer  the 
brilliant  young  Court  beauty  of  Vienna.  She  was  a 
tired  and  disappointed  girl. 

"  You  are  surprised  —  I  should  not  have  come 
here!     It  was  such  a  foolish  impulse." 

She  caught  up  her  gloves  feverishly,  but  Nor- 
gate's  moment  of  stupefaction  had  passed.  He 
clasped  her  hands. 

**  Forgive  me,"  he  begged.  "  It^  is  reallyyou  — 
Anna!"       . 


His  words  were  almost  incoherent,  but  his  tone 
was  convincing.     Her  fears  passed  away. 

"  You  don't  wonder  that  I  was  a  little  surprised, 
do  you  ?  "  he  exclaimed.     "  You  were  not  only  the 


124  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

last  person  whom  I  was  thinking  of,  but  you  were 
certainly  the  last  person  whom  I  expected  to  see  in 
London  or  to  welcome  here." 

"But  why?"  she  asked.  "I  told  you  that  I 
came  often  to  this  country." 

"  I  remember,"  Norgate  admitted.  "  Yet  I  never 
ventured  to  hope — " 

"  Of  course  I  should  not  have  come  here,"  she 
interrupted.  "  It  was  absurd  of  me,  and  at  such 
an  hour !  And  yet  I  am  staying  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  away.  The  temptation  to-night  was  irresist- 
ible. I  felt  as  one  sometimes  does  in  this  queer, 
enormous  city  —  lonely.  I  telephoned,  and  your 
servant,  who  answered  me,  said  that  you  were  ex- 
pected back  at  any  moment.     Then  I  came  myself." 

*'  You  cannot  imagine  that  I  am  not  glad  to  see 
you,"  he  said  earnestly. 

"  I  want  to  believe  that  you  are  glad,"  she  an- 
swered. "  I  have  been  restless  ever  since  you  left. 
Tell  me  at  once,  what  did  they  say  to  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  practically  shelved,"  he  told  her  bitterly. 
*'  In  twelve  months'  time,  perhaps,  I  may  be  offered 
something  in  America  or  Asia  —  countries  where 
diplomacy  languishes.  In  a  word,  your  mighty  auto- 
crat has  spoken  the  word,  and  I  am  sacrificed." 

She  moved  towards  the  window. 

"  I  am  stifled !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Open  it  wide, 
please." 

He  threw  it  open.  They  looked  out  eastwards. 
The  roar  of  the  night  was  passing.  Here  and  there 
were  great  black  spaces.  On  the  Thames  a  sky-sign 
or  two  remained.     The  blue,  opalescent  glare  from 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  125 

the  Gaiety  dome  still  shone.  The  curving  lights 
which  spanned  the  bridges  and  fringed  the  Embank- 
ment still  glittered.  The  air,  even  here,  high  up  as 
they  were  on  the  seventh  story  of  the  building,  seemed 
heavy  and  lifeless. 

"  There  is  a  storm  coming,"  she  said.  "  I  have 
felt  it  for  days." 

She  stood  looking  out,  pale,  her  large  eyes  strained 
as  though  seeking  to  read  something  which  eluded 
her  in  the  clouds  or  the  shadows  which  hung  over  the 
city.  She  had  rather  the  air  of  a  frightened  but 
eager  child.  She  rested  her  fingers  upon  his  arm,  not 
exactly  affectionately,  but  as  though  she  felt  the 
need  of  some  protection. 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  whispered,  "  the  feeling  of 
this  storm  has  been  in  my  heart  for  days.  I  am 
afraid  —  afraid  for  all  of  us  !  " 

"  Afraid  of  what  ?  "  he  asked  gently. 

"  Afraid,"  she  went  on,  "  because  it  seems  to  me 
that  I  can  hear,  at  times  like  this,  when  one  is  alone, 
the  sound  of  what  one  of  your  writers  called  foot- 
steps amongst  the  hills,  footsteps  falling  upon  wool, 
muffled  yet  somehow  ominous.  There  is  trouble  com- 
ing.    I  know  it.     I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  In  this  country  they  do  not  think  so,"  he  re- 
minded her.  "  Most  of  our  great  statesmen  of  to- 
day have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  will  be  no 
more  war." 

"  You  have  no  great  statesmen,"  she  answered  sim- 
ply. "  You  have  plenty  of  men  who  would  make 
very  fine  local  administrators,  but  you  have  no  states- 
men, or  you  would  have  provided  for  what  is  coming." 


126  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

There  was  a  curious  conviction  in  her  words,  a 
sense  of  one  speaking  who  has  seen  the  truth. 

"  Tell  me,"  he  asked,  "  is  there  anything  that 
you  know  of — " 

"  Ah !  but  that  I  may  not  tell  you,"  she  inter- 
rupted, turning  away  from  the  window.  "  Of  my- 
self just  now  I  say  nothing — only  of  you.  I  am 
here  for  a  day  or  two.  It  is  through  me  that  you 
have  suffered  this  humiliation.  I  wanted  to  know 
just  how  far  it  went.  Is  there  anything  I  can 
do?" 

"  What  could  any  one  do?  "  he  asked.  "  I  am  the 
victim  of  circumstances." 

"  But  for  a  whole  year !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  You 
are  not  like  so  many  young  Englishmen.  You  do 
not  wish  to  spend  your  time  playing  polo  and  golf, 
and  shooting.  You  must  do  something.  What  are 
you  going  to  do  with  that  year?  " 

He  moved  across  the  room  and  took  a  cigarette 
from  a  box.  -* 

"  Give  me  something  to  drink,  please,"  she  begged. 

He  opened  a  cupboard  in  his  sideboard  and  gave 
her  some  soda-water.  She  had  still  the  air  of  wait- 
ing for  his  reply. 

"  What  am  I  going  to  do?  "  he  repeated.  "  Well, 
here  I  am  with  an  idle  twelve  months.  It  makes  no 
difference  to  anybody  what  time  I  get  up,  what  time 
I  go  to  bed,  with  whom  or  how  I  spend  the  day.  I 
suppose  to  some  people  it  would  sound  like  Paradise. 
To  me  it  is  hateful.     Shall  I  be  your  secretary?  " 

"  How  do  you  know  that  I  need  a  secretary  ?  "  she 
asked. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  127 

"  How  should  I  ?  "  he  replied.  "  Yet  you  are  not 
altogether  an  idler  in  life,  are  you?  " 

For  a  moment  she  did  not  answer.  The  silence  in 
the  room  was  almost  impressive.  He  looked  at  her 
over  the  top  of  the  soda-water  syphon  whose  handle 
he  was  manipulating. 

"  What  do  you  imagine  might  be  my  occupation, 
then  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  have  heard  it  suggested,"  he  said  slowly,  "  that 
you  have  been  a  useful  intermediary  in  carrying  mes- 
sages of  the  utmost  importance  between  the  Kaiser 
and  the  Emperor  of  Austria." 

"  Your  Intelligence  Department  is  not  so  bad," 
she  remarked.  "  It  is  true.  Why  not.''  At  the 
German  Court  I  count  for  little,  perhaps.  In  Aus- 
tria my  father  was  the  Emperor's  only  personal 
friend.  My  mother  was  scarcely  popular  there  — 
she  was  too  completely  English  —  but  since  my 
father  died  the  Emperor  will  scarcely  let  me  stay  a 
week  away.  Yes,  your  information  is  perhaps  true. 
I  will  supplement  it,  if  you  like.  Since  our  little 
affair  in  the  Cafe  de  Berlin,  the  Kaiser,  who  went  out 
of  his  way  to  insist  upon  your  removal  from  Berlin, 
has  notified  the  Emperor  that  he  would  prefer  to  re- 
ceive his  most  private  dispatches  either  through  the 
regular  diplomatic  channels  or  by  some  other  mes- 
senger." 

Norgate's  emphatic  expletive  was  only  half-stifled 
as  she  continued. 

"  For  myself,"  she  said  with  a  shrug,  "  I  am  not 
sorrj'.  I  found  it  very  interesting,  but  of  late  those 
feelings  of  which  I  have  told  you  have  taken  hold  of 


128  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

me.  I  have  felt  as  though  a  terrible  shgulow  were 
brooding  over  the  world." 

"  Let  me  ask  you  once  more,"  he  begged.  "  Why 
are  you  in  London  ?  " 

"  I  received  a  wire  from  the  Emperor,"  she  ex- 
plained, "  instructing  me  to  return  at  once  to  Vienna. 
If  I  go  there,  I  know  very  well  that  I  shall  not  be 
allowed  to  leave  the  city.  I  have  been  trusted  im- 
plicitly, and  they  will  keep  me  practically  a  prisoner. 
They  will  think  that  I  may  feel  a  resentment  against 
the  Kaiser,  and  they  will  be  afraid.  Therefore,  I 
came  here,  I  have  every  excuse  for  coming.  It  is 
according  to  my  original  plans.  You  will  find  that 
by  to-morrow  morning  I  shall  have  a  second  message 
from  Vienna.  All  the  same,  I  am  not  sure  that  I 
shall  go." 

There  was  a  ring  at  the  bell.  Norgate  started, 
and  Anna  looked  at  the  clock. 

"  VV^ho  is  that.f"  "  she  asked.  "Do  you  see  the 
time?" 

Norgate  moved  to  the  door  and  threw  it  open. 
A  waiter  stood  there. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  demanded  Norgate. 

The  man  pointed  to  the  indicator. 

"  The  bell  rang,  sir,"  he  replied.  "  Is  there  any- 
thing I  can  get  for  you?  " 

"  I  rang  no  bell,"  Norgate  asserted.  "  Your  indi- 
cator must  be  out  of  order." 

Norgate  would  have  closed  the  door,  but  Anna 
intervened. 

"  Tell  the  waiter  I  wish  to  speak  to  him,"  she 
begged. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  129 

The  man  advanced  at  once  into  the  room  and 
glanced  interrogatively  at  Anna.  She  addressed 
him  suddenly  in  Austrian,  and  he  replied  without  hesi- 
tation. She  nodded.  Then  she  turned  to  Norgate 
and  laughed  softly. 

"  You  see  how  perfect  the  system  is,"  she  said. 
"  I  was  followed  here,  passed  on  to  your  floor-waiter. 
You  are  a  spy,  are  you  not.''  "  she  added,  turning  to 
the  man.     "  But  of  course  you  are !  " 

"  Madame !  "  the  man  protested.  "  I  do  not  un- 
derstand." 

"  You  can  go  away,"  she  replied.     "  You  can  tell 

Herr  Selingman  in  your  morning's   report  that  I 

came  to  Mr.  Norgate's  rooms  at  an  early  hour  in 

•the  morning  and  spent  an  hour  talking  with  him. 

You  can  go  now." 

The  man  withdrew  without  remark.  He  was  a 
quiet,  inoffensive-looking  person,  with  sallow  com- 
plexion, suave  but  silent  manners.  Norgate  closed 
the  door  behind  him. 

"  A  victim  of  the  system  which  all  Europe  knows 
of  except  you  people,"  she  remarked  lightly.  "  Well, 
after  this  I  must  be  careful.  Walk  with  me  to  my 
hotel." 

"  Of  course,"  he  assented. 

They  made  their  way  along  the  silent  corridors  to 
the  lift,  out  into  the  streets,  empty  of  traffic  now 
save  for  the  watering-carts  and  street  scavengers. 

"  Will  there  be  trouble  for  you,"  Norgate  asked 
at  last,  "  because  of  this  ?  " 

"  There  is  more  trouble  in  my  own  heart,"  she  told 
him  quietly.     "  I  feel  strangely  disturbed,  uncertain 


130  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

which  way  to  move.  Let  me  take  your  arm  —  so. 
I  like  to  walk  like  that.  Somehow  I  think,  Mr. 
Francis  Norgate,  that  that  little  fracas  in  the  Cafe 
de  Berlin  is  going  to  make  a  great  difference  in  both 
our  lives.  I  know  now  what  I  had  begun  to  believe. 
Like  all  the  trusted  agents  of  sovereigns,  I  have  be- 
come an  object  of  suspicion.  Well,  we  shall  see.  At 
least  I  am  glad  to  know  that  there  is  some  one  whom 
I  can  trust.  Perhaps  to-morrow  I  will  tell  you  all 
that  is  in  my  heart.  We  might  even,  if  you  wished 
it,  if  you  were  willing  to  face  a  few  risks,  we  might 
even  work  together  to  hold  back  the  thunder.  So! 
Good  night,  my  friend,"  she  added,  turning  suddenly 
around. 

He  held  her  hand  for  a  moment  as  they  stood  to- 
gether on  the  pavement  outside  her  hotel.  For  a 
single  moment  he  fancied  that  there  was  a  change  in 
that  curious  personal  aloofness  which  seemed  so  dis- 
tinctive of  her.  It  passed,  however,  as  she  turned 
from  him  with  her  usual  half-insolent,  half  gracious 
little  nod. 

"  To-morrow,"  she  directed,  "  you  must  ring  me 
up.     Let  it  be  at  eleven  o'clock."     -^'i 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Ambassador  glanced  at  the  clock  as  he  en- 
tered his  library  to  greet  his  early  morning  visitor. 
It  was  barely  nine  o'clock. 

"  Dear  friend,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  held  out  his 
hands,  "  I  am  distressed  to  keep  you  waiting !  Such 
zeal  in  our  affairs  must,  however,  not  remain  unno- 
ticed.    I  will  remember  it  in  my  reports." 

Anna  smiled  as  he  stooped  to  kiss  her  fingers. 

"  I  had  special  reasons,"  she  explained,  "  for  my 
haste.  I  was  disappointed,  indeed,  that  I  could  not 
see  you  last  night." 

"  I  was  at  Windsor,"  her  host  remarked.  "  Now 
come,  sit  there  in  the  easy-chair  by  the  side  of  my 
table.  My  secretaries  have  not  yet  arrived.  We 
shall  be  entirely  undisturbed.  I  have  ordered  coffee 
here,  of  which  we  will  partake  together.  A  compro- 
mising meal  to  share,  dear  Baroness,  but  in  the 
library  of  my  own  house  it  may  be  excused.  The 
Princess  sends  her  love.  She  will  be  glad  if  you  will 
go  to  her  apartments  after  we  have  finished  our  talk." 

A  servant  entered  with  a  tray,  spread  a  cloth  on 
a  small  round  table,  upon  which  he  set  out  coffee, 
with  rolls  and  butter  and  preserves.  For  a  few  mo- 
ments they  talked  lightly  of  the  weather,  of  her 
crossing,   of   mutual   friends   in   Berlin   and   Vienna. 


132  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Then  Anna,  as  soon  as  they  were  alone,  leaned  a 
little  forward  in  her  chair. 

"  You  know  that  I  have  a  sort  of  mission  to  you," 
she  said.  "  I  should  not  call  it  that,  perhaps,  but  it 
comes  to  very  nearly  the  same  thing.  The  Emperor 
has  charged  me  to  express  to  you  and  to  Count 
Lanyoki  his  most  earnest  desire  that  if  the  things 
should  come  which  we  know  of,  you  both  maintain 
your  position  here  at  any  cost.  The  Emperor's  last 
words  to  me  were :  '  If  way  ;g  to  come,  it  may  be_the_ 
will  of  God.  We  are  ready,  but  there  is  one  country 
which  must  be  kept  from  the  ranks  of  our  enemies. 
That  country  is  England.  England  must  be  dealt 
with  diplomatically.'  He  looks  across  the  continent 
to  you.  Prince.  This  is  the  friendly  message  which 
I  have  brought  from  his  own  lips." 

The  Prince  stirred  his  coffee  thoughtfully.  He 
was  a  man  just  passing  middle-age,  with  grey  hair, 
thin  in  places  but  carefully  trimmed,  brushed  sedu- 
lously back  from  his  high  forehead.  His  moustache, 
too,  was  grey,  and  his  face  was  heavily  lined,  but  hia 
eyes,  clear  and  bright,  were  almost  the  eyes  of  a 
young  man. 

"  You  can  reassure  the  Emperor,"  he  declared. 
"  As  you  may  imagine,  my  supply  of  information 
here  is  plentiful.  If  those  things  should  come  that 
we  know  of,  it  is  my  firm  belief  that  with  some  rea- 
sonable yet  nominal  considerations,  this  Government 
will  never  lend  itself  to  war." 

"  You  really  believe  that  ?  "  she  asked  earnestly. 

"  I  do,"  her  companion  assured  her.  "  I  try  to 
be  fair  in  my  judgments.     London  is  a  pleasant  city 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  133 

to  live  in,  and  English  people  are  agreeable  and  well- 
bred,  but  thej  are  a  people  absolutely  without  vital 
impulses.  Patriotism  belongs  to  their  poetry  books. 
Indolence  has  stagnated  their  blood.  They  are  like 
a  nation  under  a  spell,  with  their  faces  turned  towards 
the  pleasant  and  desirable  things.  Only  a  few 
months  ago,  they  even  further  reduced  the  size  of 
their  ridiculous  army  and  threw  cold  water  upon  a 
scheme  for  raising  untrained  help  in  case  of  emer- 
gency. Even  their  navy  estimates  are  passed  with 
difficulty.  The  Government  which  is  conducting  the 
destinies  of  a  people  like  this,  which  believes  that  war 
belongs  to  a  past  age,  is  never  likely  to  become  a 
menace  to  us." 

Anna  drew  a  little  sigh  and  lit  the  cigarette  which 
the  Prince  passed  her.  She  threw  herself  back  in 
her  chair  with  an  air  of  contentment. 

"  It  is  so  pleasant  once  more  to  be  among  the  big 
things,"  she  declared.  "  In  Berlin  I  think  they  are 
not  fond  of  me,  and  they  are  so  pompous  and  se- 
cretive. Tell  me,  dear  Prince,  will  you  not  be  kinder 
to  me.**     Tell  me  what  is  really  going  to  happen?  " 

He  moved  his  chair  a  little  closer  to  hers. 

*'  I  see  no  reason,"  he  said  cautiously,  "  why  you 
should  not  be  told.  Events,  then,  will  probably  move 
in  this  direction.  Provocation  will  be  given  by 
Servia.  That  is  easUy  arranged.  Tension  will  be 
caused,  Austria  will  make  enormous  demands,  Russia 
will  remonstrate,  and,  before  any  one  has  time  to 
breathe,  the  clouds  will  part  to  let  the  lightnings 
through.  If  anything,  we  are  over-ready,  straining 
with  over-readiness." 


134  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  And  the  plan  of  campaign  ?  " 

*'  Austria  and  Italy,"  the  Prince  continued  slowly, 
*'  will  easily  keep  Russia  in  check.  Germany  will 
seize  Belgium  and  rush  through  to  Paris.  She  will 
either  impose  her  terms  there  or  leave  a  second-class 
army  to  conclude  the  campaign.  There  will  be 
plenty  of  time  for  her  then  to  turn  back  and  fall  in 
with  her  allies  against  Russia." 

"And  England.?  "  Anna  asked.     "Supposing?" 

The  Prince  tapped  the  table  with  his  forefinger. 

"  Here,"  he  announced,  *'  we  conquer  with  diplo- 
macy. We  have  imbued  the  present  Cabinet,  even 
the  Minister  who  is  responsible  for  the  army,  with 
the  idea  that  we  stand  for  peace.  We  shall  seem  to 
be  the  attacked  party  in  this  war.  We  shall  say  to 
England  — *  Remain  neutral.  It  is  not  your  quarrel, 
and  we  will  be  capable  of  a  great  act  of  self-sacrifice. 
We  will  withhold  our  fleet  from  bombarding  the 
French  towns.  England  could  do  no  more  than  deal 
with  our  fleet  if  she  were  at  war.  She  shall  do  the 
same  without  raising  a  finger.'  No  country  could 
refuse  so  sane  and  businesslike  an  offer,  especially 
a  country  which  will  at  once  count  upon  its  fingers 
how  much  it  will  save  by  not  going  to  war." 

"  And  afterwards  ?  " 

The  Prince  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Afterwards 
is  inevitable." 

*'  Please  go  on,"  she  insisted. 

*'  We  shall  occupy  the  whole  of  the  coast  from 
Antwerp  to  Havre.  The  indemnity  which  France 
and  Russia  will  pay  us  will  make  us  the  mightiest 
nation  on  earth.     We  shall  play  with  England  as  a 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  135 

cat  with  a  mouse,  and  when  the  time  comes.  .  .  . 
Well,  perhaps  that  will  do,"  the  Prince  concluded, 
smiling. 

Anna  was  silent  for  several  moments. 

"  I  am  a  woman,  you  know,"  she  said  simply,  "  and 
this  sounds,  in  a  way,  terrible.  Yet  for  months  I 
have  felt  it  coming." 

"  There  is  nothing  terrible  about  it,"  the  Prince 
replied,  "  if  you  keep  the  great  principles  of  prog- 
ress always  before  you.  If  a  million  or  so  of  lives 
are  sacrificed,  the  great  Germany  of  the  future,  gath- 
ering under  her  wings  the  peoples  of  the  world,  will 
raise  them  to  a  pitch  of  culture  and  contentment  and 
happiness  which  will  more  than  atone  for  the  sacri- 
fices of  to-day.  It  is,  after  all,  the  future  to  which 
we  must  look." 

A  telephone  bell  rang  at  the  Prince's  elbow.  He 
listened  for  a  moment  and  nodded. 

"  An  urgent  visitor  demands  a  moment  of  my 
time,"  he  said,  rising. 

"  I  have  taken  already  too  much,"  Anna  declared, 
*'  but  I  felt  it  was  time  that  I  heard  the  truth.  They 
fence  with  me  so  in  Berlin,  and,  believe  me.  Prince 
Herschfeld,  in  Vienna  the  Emperor  is  almost  wholly 
ignorant  of  what  is  planned." 

The  door  was  opened  behind  them.  The  Prince 
turned  around.  A  young  man  had  ushered  in  Herr 
Selingman.  For  a  moment  the  latter  looked  steadily 
at  Anna.  Then  he  glanced  at  the  Ambassador  as 
though  questioningly. 

"  You  two  must  have  met,"  the  Prince  murmured. 

"  We  have  met,"  Anna  declared,  smiling,  as  she 


136  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

made  her  way  towards  the  door,  "  but  we  do  not  know 
one  another.  It  is  best  like  that.  Herr  Selingman 
and  I  work  in  the  same  army  — " 

"  But  I,  madame,  am  the  sergeant,"  Selingman  in- 
terrupted, with  a  low  bow,  "  whilst  you  are  upon  the 
staflP." 

She  laughed  as  she  made  her  adieux  and  departed. 
The  door  closed  heavily  behind  her.  Selingman  came 
a  little  further  into  the  room. 

"  You  have  read  your  dispatches  this  morning, 
Prince.?  "  he  asked. 

"  Not  yet,"  the  latter  replied.  "  Is  there  news, 
then.?  » 

Selingman  pointed  to  the  closed  door.  "  You  have 
spoken  for  long  with  her?  " 

"  Naturally,"  the  Prince  assented.  "  She  is  a 
confidential  friend  of  the  Emperor.  She  has  been 
entrusted  for  the  last  two  years  with  all  the  private 
dispatches  between  Vienna  and  Berlin." 

"  In  your  letters  you  will  find  news,"  Selingman 
declared.  "  She  is  pronounced  suspect.  She  is  un- 
der my  care  at  this  moment.  A  report  was  brought 
to  me  half  an  hour  ago  that  she  was  here.  I  came 
on  at  once  myself.     I  trust  that  I  am  in  time.?  " 

The  Prince  stood  quite  silent  for  a  moment. 

"  Fortunately,"  he  answered  coolly,  "  I  have  told 
her  nothing." 


CHAPTER  XVin 

As  Norgate  entered  the  premises  of  Selingman, 
Horsfal  and  Company  a  little  later  on  the  same 
morning  he  looked  around  him  in  some  surprise. 
He  had  expected  to  find  a  deserted  warehouse  — 
probably  only  an  office.  He  saw  instead  all  the  evi- 
dences of  a  thriving  and  prosperous  business.  Drays 
were  coming  and  going  from  the  busy  door.  Crates 
were  piled  up  to  the  ceiling,  clerks  with  notebooks  in 
their  hands  passed  continually  back  and  forth.  A 
small  boy  in  a  crowded  office  accepted  his  card  and 
disappeared.  In  a  few  minutes  he  led  Norgate  into 
a  waiting-room  and  handed  him  a  paper. 

"  Mr.  Selingman  is  engaged  with  a  buyer  for  a 
few  moments,  sir,"  he  reported.  "  He  will  see  you 
presently." 

Norgate  looked  through  the  windows  out  into  the 
warehouse.  There  was  no  doubt  whatever  that  this 
was  a  genuine  and  considerable  trading  concern. 
Presently  the  door  of  the  inner  office  opened,  and  he 
heard  Mr.  Selingman's  hearty  tones. 

*'  You  have  done  well  for  yourself  and  well  for  your 
firm,  sir,"  he  was  saying.  "  There  is  no  one  in  Ger- 
many or  in  the  world  who  can  produce  crockery  at 
the  price  we  do.  They  will  give  you  a  confirmation 
of  the  order  in  the  office.     Ah !  my  young  friend,"  he 


138  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

went  on,  turning  to  Norgate,  "  you  have  kept  your 
word,  then.  You  are  not  a  customer,  but  you  may 
walk  in.  I  shall  make  no  money  out  of  you,  but  we 
will  talk  together." 

Norgate  passed  on  into  a  comfortably  furnished 
office,  a  little  redolent  of  cigar  smoke.  Selingman 
bit  off  the  end  of  a  cigar  and  pushed  the  box  towards 
his  visitor. 

*'  Try  one  of  these,"  he  invited.  *'  German  made, 
but  Havana  tobacco  —  mild  as  milk." 

*'  Thank  you,"  Norgate  answered.  "  I  don't 
smoke  cigars  in  the  morning.  I'll  have  a  cigarette, 
if  I  may." 

"  As  you  will.  What  do  you  think  of  us  now  that 
you  have  found  your  way  here.''  " 

"  Your  business  seems  to  be  genuine  enough,  at 
all  events,"  Norgate  observed. 

"Genuine.'*  Of  course  it  is!"  Selingman  declared 
emphatically.  "  Do  you  think  I  should  be  fool 
enough  to  be  connected  with  a  bogus  affair?  My 
father  and  my  grandfather  before  me  were  manu- 
facturers of  crockery.  I  can  assure  you  that  I  am 
a  very  energetic  and  a  very  successful  business  man. 
If  I  have  interests  in  greater  things,  those  interests 
have  developed  naturally,  side  by  side  with  my  com- 
mercial success.  When  I  say  that  I  am  a  German, 
that  to  me  means  more,  much  more,  than  if  I  were 
to  declare  myself  a  native  of  any  other  country  in 
the  world.  Sit  opposite  to  me  there.  I  have  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  to  spare.  I  can  show  you,  if  you 
will,  over  a  thousand  designs  of  various  articles.  I 
can  show  you  orders  —  genuine  orders,  mind  —  from 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  139 

some  of  your  big  wholesale  houses,  which  would  as- 
tonish you.  Or,  if  you  prefer  it,  we  can  talk  of 
affairs  from  another  point  of  view.  What  do  you. 
say  ?  " 

"My  interest  in  your  crockery,"  Norgate  an- 
nounced, "  is  non-existent.  I  have  come  to  hear  your 
offer.  I  have  decided  to  retire  —  temporarily,  at 
any  rate  —  from  the  Diplomatic  Service.  I  under- 
stand that  I  am  in  disgrace,  and  I  resent  it.  I  re- 
sent having  had  to  leave  Berlin  except  at  my  own 
choice.  I  am  looking  for  a  job  in  some  other  walk 
of  life." 

Selingman  nodded  approvingly. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  said,  "  but  it  is  true,  then,  that 
you  are  in  some  way  dependent  upon  your  profes- 
sion ?  " 

"  I  am  not  a  pauper  outside  it,"  Norgate  replied, 
**  but  that  is  not  the  sole  question.  I  need  work,  an 
interest  in  life,  something  to  think  about.  I  must 
either  find  something  to  do,  or  I  shall  go  to  Abys- 
sinia.    I  should  prefer  an  occupation  here." 

**  I  can  help  you,"  Selingman  said  slowly,  "  if  you 
are  a  young  man  of  common  sense.  I  can  put  you 
in  the  way  of  earning,  if  you  will,  a  thousand  pounds 
a  year  and  your  travelling  expenses,  without  inter- 
fering very  much  with  your  present  mode  of  life." 

"  Selling  crockery?  " 

Selingman  flicked  the  ash  from  the  end  of  his 
cigar.     He  shook  his  head  good-naturedly. 

*'  I  am  a  judge  of  character,  young  man,"  he  de- 
clared. "  I  pride  myself  upon  that  accomplishment. 
I  know  very  well  that  in  you  we  have  one  with  brains. 


140  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Nevertheless,  I  do  not  believe  that  you  would  sell  my 
crockery." 

"  It  seems  easy  enough,"  Norgate  observed. 

"It  may  seem  easy,"  Selingman  objected,  "but  it 
is  not.  You  have  not,  I  am  convinced,  the  gifts  of  a 
salesman.  You  would  not  reason  and  argue  with 
these  obstinate  British  shopkeepers.  No!  Your 
value  to  me  would  lie  in  other  directions  —  in  your 
social  position,  your  opportunities  of  meeting  with 
a  class  above  the  commercial  one  in  which  I  have 
made  my  few  English  friends,  and  in  your  own  in- 
telligence." 

"  I  scarcely  see  of  what  value  these  things  would 
be  to  a  vendor  of  crockery." 

"  They  would  be  of  no  value  at  all,"  Selingman 
admitted.  "  It  is  not  in  the  crockery  business  that 
I  propose  to  make  use  of  you.  I  believe  that  we 
both  know  that.  We  may  dismiss  it  from  our  minds. 
It  is  only  fencing  with  words.  I  will  take  you  a 
little  further.  You  have  heard,  by  chance,  of  the 
Anglo-German  Peace  Society?  " 

"  The  name  sounds  familiar,"  Norgate  confessed. 
*'  I  can't  say  that  I  know  anything  about  it." 

"  It  was.  I  who  inaugurated  that  body,"  Selingm&n 
announced.     "  It  is  I  who  direct  its  interests." 

"  Congratulate  you,  I'm  sure.  You  must  find  it 
uphill  work  sometimes." 

"  It  is  uphill  work  all  the  time,"  the  German 
agreed.  "  Our  great  object  is,  as  you  can  guess  from 
the  title,  to  promote  good-feeling  between  the  two 
countries,  to  heal  up  all  possible  breaches,  to  soothe 
and  dispel  that  pitiful  jealousy,  j)f  which,  alas !  too 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  141 

much  exists.  It  is  not  easy,  Mr,  Norgate.  It  is 
not  easy,  my  young  friend.  I  meet  with  many  dis- 
appointments. Yet  it  is  a  great  and  worthy  under- 
taking." 

"  It  sounds  all  right,"  Norgate  observed. 
"  Where  do  I  come  in.''  " 

"  I  will  explain.  To  carry  out  the  aims  of  our 
society,  there  is  much  information  which  we  are  con- 
tinually needing.  People  in  Germany  are  often 
misled  by  the  Press  here.  Facts  and  opinions  are 
presented  to  them  often  from  an  unpalatable  point 
of  view.  Furthermore,  there  is  a  section  of  the 
Press  which,  so  far  from  being  on  our  side,  seems 
deliberately  to  try  to  stir  up  ill-feeling  between  the 
two  countries.  We  want  to  get  behind  the  Press. 
For  that  purpose  we  need  to  know  the  truth  about 
many  matters ;  and  as  the  truth  is  a  somewhat  rare 
commodity,  we  are  willing  to  pay  for  it.  Now  we 
come  face  to  face.  It  will  be  your  business,  if  you 
accept  my  offer,  to  collect  such  facts  as  may  be  use- 
ful to  us." 

"  I  see,"  Norgate  remarked  dubiously,  "  or  rather 
I  don't  see  at  all.  Give  me  an  example  of  the  sort 
of  -facts  you  require." 

Mr.  Selingman  leaned  a  little  forward  in  his  chair. 
He  was  warming  to  his  subject. 

"  By  all  means.  There  is  the  Irish  question, 
then." 

*'  The  Irish  question,"  Norgate  repeated,  "  But 
of  what  interest  can  that  be  to  you  in  Germany.''  " 

"  Listen,"  Selingman  continued.  "  Just  as  you 
in  London  have  great  newspapers  which  seem->to  de- 


142  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

vote  themselves  to  stirring  up  bitter  feeling  between 
our  two  countries,  so  we,  alas !  in  Germany,  have 
newspapers  and  journals  which  seem  to  devote  all 
their  energies  to  the  same  object.  Now  in  this  Irish 
question  the  action  of  your  Government  has  been 
very  much  misrepresented  in  that  section  of  our 
Press  and  much  condemned.  I  should  like  to  get  at 
the  truth  from  an  authoritative  source.  I  should 
like  to  get  it  in  such  a  form  that  I  can  present  it 
fairly  and  honestly  to  the  public  of  Germany." 

*'  That  sounds  reasonable  enough,"  Norgate  ad- 
mitted.    "  There  are  several  pamphlets  — " 

"  I  do  not  want  pamphlets,"  Selingman  inter- 
rupted. "  I  want  an  actual  report  from  Ulster  and 
Dublin  of  the  state  of  feeling  in  the  country,  and, 
if  possible,  interviews  with  prominent  people.  For 
this  the  society  would  pay  a  bonus  over  and  above 
the  travelling  expenses  and  your  salary.  If  you  ac- 
cept my  offer,  this  is  probably  one  of  the  first  tasks 
I  should  commit  to  you." 

"  Give  me  a  few  more  examples,"  Norgate 
begged. 

"Another  subject,"  Selingman  continued,  "upon 
which  there  is  wide  divergence  of  opinions  in  Ger- 
many, and  a  great  deal  of  misrepresentation,  is  the 
attitude  of  certain  of  your  Cabinet  Ministers  towards 
the  French  entente:  how  far  they  would  support  it, 
at  what  they  would  stop  short." 

"  Isn't  that  rather  a  large  order?  "  Norgate  ven- 
tured. "  I  don't  number  many  Cabinet  Ministers 
among  my  personal  friends." 

Selingman  puffed  away  at  his  cigar  for  a  moment. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  143 

Then  he  withdrew  it  from  his  mouth  and  expeUed 
large  volumes  of  smoke. 

*'  You  are,  I  believe,  intimately  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Hebblethwaite?" 

^'  How  the  mischief  did  you  know  that?  "  Norgate 
demanded. 

"  Our  society,"  Selingman  announced,  smiling  pon- 
derously, "  has  ramifications  in  every  direction.  It 
is  our  business  to  know  much.  We  are  collectors  of 
information  of  every  sort  and  nature." 

"  Seems  to  have  been  part  of  your  business  to  fol- 
low me  about,"  observed  Norgate. 

**  Perhaps  so.  If  we  thought  it  good  for  us  to 
have  you  followed  about,  we  certainly  should,"  Seling- 
man admitted.  "  You  see,  in  Germany,"  he  added, 
leaning  back  in  his  chair,  "  we  lay  great  stress  upon 
detail  and  intelligence.  We  get  to  know  things :  not 
the  smattering  of  things,  like  you  over  her^  are  too 
often  content  with,  but  to  know  them  thoroughly  and 
understand  them.  Nothing  ever  takes  us  by  sur- 
prise. We  are  always  forewarned.  So  far  as  any 
one  can,  we  read  the  future." 

"  You  are  a  very  great  nation,  without  a  doubt," 
Norgate  acknowledged,  "  but  my  quarter  of  an  hour 
is  coming  to  an  end.  Tell  me  what  else  you  would 
expect  from  me  if  I  accepted  this  post?  " 

"  For  the  moment,  I  can  think  of  nothing,"  Seling- 
man replied.  "  There  are  many  ways  in  which  we 
might  make  use  of  you,  but  to  name  them  now  would 
be  to  look  a  little  too  far  into  the  future." 

*'  By  whom  should  I  reallj^  be  employed?  " 

"  By  the  Anglo-German  Peace  Society,"  Seling- 


144  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

man  answered  promptly.  "  Let  me  say  a  word  more 
about  that  society.  I  am  proud  of  it.  I  am  one  of 
those  prominent  business  men  who  are  responsible 
for  its  initiation.  I  have  given  years  of  time  and 
thought  to  it.  All  our  efforts  are  directed  towards 
promoting  a  better  understanding  with  England, 
towards  teaching  the  two  countries  to  appreciate  one 
another.  But  in  the  background  there  is  always 
something  else.  It  is  useless  to  deny  that  the  mis- 
trust existing  between,  the  two  countries  has  brought 
them  more  than  once  almost  to  the  verge  of  war. 
What  we  want  is  to  be  able,  at  critical  times,  to 
throw  oil  upon  the  troubled  waters,  and  if  the  worst 
should  come,  if  a  war  really  should  break  out,  then 
we  want  to  be  able  to  act  as  peacemakers,  to  heal  as 
soon  as  possible  any  little  sores  that  there  may  be, 
and  to  enter  afterwards  upon  a  greater  friendship 
with  a  purified  England." 

"  It  sounds  very  interesting,"  Norgate  confessed. 
"  I  had  an  idea  that  you  were  proposing  something 
quite  different." 

"  Please  explain." 

*'  To  be  perfectly  frank  with  you,"  Norgate  ac- 
knowledged, "  I  thought  you  wanted  me  to  do  the 
ordinary  spy  business  —  traces  of  fortresses,  and 
particulars  about  guns  and  aeroplanes  — " 

"  Rubbish,  my  dear  fellow ! "  Selingman  inter- 
rupted. "  Rubbish !  Those  things  we  leave  to  our 
military  department,  and  pray  that  the  question  of 
their  use  may  never  arise.  We  are  concerned  wholly 
with  economic  and  social  questions,  and  our  great 
aim  is  not  war  but  peace." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  145 

"  Very  well,  then,"  Norgate  decided,  "  I  accept. 
When  shall  I  start?" 

Selingman  laid  his  hand  upon  the  other's  shoulder 
as  he  rose  to  his  feet. 

-  "  Young  man,"  he  said,  "  you  have  come  to  a  wise 
decision.  Your  salary  will  commence  from  the  first 
of  this  month.  Continue  to  live  as  usual.  Let  me 
have  the  opportunity  of  seeing  you  at  the  club,  and 
let  me  know  each  day  where  you  can  be  found.  I 
will  give  you  your  instructions  from  day  to  day. 
You  will  be  doing  a  great  work,  and,  mind  you,  a 
patriotic  work.  If  ever  your  conscience  should  trou- 
ble you,  remember  that.  You  are  working  not  for 
Germany  but  for  Englan^." 

"  I  will  always  remember  that,"  Norgate  promised, 
as  he  turned  away.     ^^ 


CHAPTER  XIX 

Norgate  found  Anna  waiting  for  him  in  the  hall 
of  the  smaller  hotel,  a  little  further  westward,  to 
which  she  had  moved.  He  looked  admiringly  at  her 
cool  white  muslin  gown  and  the  perfection  of  her 
somewhat  airy  toilette. 

"  You  are  five  minutes  late,"  she  remonstrated. 

"  I  had  to  go  into  the  city,"  he  apologised.  "  It 
was  rather  an  important  engagement.  Soon  I  must 
tell  you  all  about  it." 

She  looked  at  him  a  little  curiously. 

"  I  will  be  patient,"  promised  Anna,  "  and  ask  no 
questions." 

"  You  are  still  depressed  ?  " 

*'  Horribly,"  she  confessed.  "  I  do  not  know  why, 
but  London  is  getting  on  my  nerves.  It  is  so  hate- 
fully, stubbornly,  obstinately  imperturbable.  I 
would  find  another  word,  but  it  eludes  me.  I  think 
you  would  call  it  smug.  And  it  is  So  noisy.  Can 
we  not  go  somewhere  for  lunch  where  it  is  tranquil, 
where  one  can  rest  and  get  away  from  this  roar.?  " 

"  We  could  go  to  Ranelagh,  if  you  liked,"  sug- 
gested Norgate.  "  There  are  some  polo  matches  on 
this  afternoon,  but  it  will  be  quiet  enough  for  lunch." 

"  I  should  love  it  1 "  she  exclaimed.  "  Let  us  go 
quickly." 

They  lunched  in  a  shady  corner  of  the  restaurant 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  147 

and  sat  afterwards  under  a  great  oak  tree  in  a  retired 
spot  at  the  further  end  of  the  gardens.  Anna  was 
still  a  little  thoughtful. 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  told  her  companion,  "  that  I 
have  received  a  hint  to  present  myself  in  Berlin  as 
soon  as  possible?  " 

"  Are  you  going?  "  Norgate  demsuided  quickly. 

**  I  am  not  sure,"  she  answered.  *'  I  feel  that  I 
must,  and  yet,  in  a  sense,  I  do  not  like  to  go.  I  have 
a  feeling  that  they  do  not  mean  to  let  me  out  of 
Berlin  again.     They  think  that  I  know  toomuch." 

"  But  why  should  they  suddenly  lose  faith  in 
you?  "  Norgate  asked. 

"  Perhaps  because  the  end  is  so  near,"  she  replied. 
"  They  know  that  I  have  strong  English  sympathies. 
Perhaps  they  think  that  they  would  not  bear  the 
strain  of  the  times  which  are  coming." 

"  You  are  an  even  greater  pessimist  than  I  myself," 
Norgate  obser^'ed.  "  Do  you  really  believe  that  the 
position  is  so  critical?  " 

"  I  know  it,"  she  assured  him.  "  I  will  not  tell 
you  all  my  reasons.  There  is  no  need  for  me  to 
break  a  trust  without  some  definite  object.  It  seems 
to  me  that  if  your  Secret  Service  Department  were 
worth  anything  at  all,  your  country  would  be  in  a 
state  almost  of  panic.  What  is  it  they  are  playing 
down  there?  Polo,  isn't  it?  There  are  six  or  eight 
military  teams,  crowds  of  your  young  officers  making 
holiday.  And  all  the  time  Krupps  are  working  over- 
time, working  night  and  day,  and  surrounded  by  sen- 
tries who  shoot  at  sight  any  stranger.  There  are 
parts  of  the  country,  even  now,  under  martial  law. 


148  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

The  streets  and  the  plains  resound  to  the  footsteps 
of  armed  hosts." 

"  But  there  is  no  excuse  for  war,"  he  reminded  her. 

"  An  excuse  is  very  easily  found,"  she  sighed. 
**  German  diplomacy  is  clumsy  enough,  but  I  think 
it  can  manage  that.  Do  you  know  that  this  morn- 
ing I  had  a  letter  from  one  of  the  greatest  nobles  of 
our  own  Court  at  Vienna?  He  knew  that  I  had  in- 
tended to  take  a  villa  in  Normandy  for  August  and 
September.  He  has  written  purposely  to  warn  me 
not  to  do  so,  to  warn  me  not  to  be  away  from  Aus- 
tria or  Germany  after  the  first  of  August." 

"  So  soon !  "  he  murmured. 

They  listened  to  the  band  for  a  moment.  In  the 
distance,  an  unceasing  stream  of  men  and  women  were 
passing  back  and  forth  under  the  trees  and  around 
the  polo  field. 

"  It  will  come  like  a  thunderbolt,"  she  said,  "  and 
when  I  think  of  it,  all  that  is  English  in  me  rises  up 
in  revolt.  In  my  heart  I  know  so  well  that  it  is 
Germany  and  Germany  alone  who  will  provoke  this 
war.  I  am  terrified  for  your  country.  I  admit  it, 
you  see,  frankly.  The  might  of  Germany  is  only 
half  understood  here.  It  is  to  be  a  war  of  conquest, 
almost  of  extermination." 

**  That  isn't  the  view  of  your  friend  Selingman," 
Norgate  reminded  her.  *'  He,  too,  hints  at  coming 
trouble,  but  he  speaks  of  it  as  just  a  salutary  little 
lesson." 

"  Selingman,  more  than  any  one  else  in  the  world, 
knows  differently,"  she  assured  him.  "  But  come, 
we  talk  too  seriously  on  such  a  wonderful  afternoon. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  149 

I  have  made  up  my  mind  on  one  point,  at  least.  I 
will  stay  here  for  a  few  days  longer.  London  at  this 
time  of  the  year  is  wonderful.  Besides,  I  have  prom- 
ised the  Princess  of  Thurm  that  I  will  go  to  Ascot 
with  her.  Why  should  we  talk  of  serious  things  any 
longer?  Let  us  have  a  little  rest.  Let  us  prome- 
nade there  with  those  other  people,  and  listen  to  the 
band,  and  have  some  tea  afterwards." 

Norgate  rose  with  alacrity,  and  they  strolled 
across  the  lawns  and  down  towards  the  polo  field. 
Very  soon  they  found  themselves  meeting  friends  in 
every  direction.  Anna  extricated  herself  from  a 
little  group  of  acquaintances  who  had  suddenly 
claimed  her  and  came  over  to  Norgate. 

"  Prince  Herschfeld  wants  to  talk  to  me  for  a  few 
minutes,"  she  whispered.  "  I  think  I  should  like  to 
hear  what  he  has  to  say.  The  Princess  is  there,  too, 
whom  I  have  scarcely  seen.  Will  you  come  and  be 
presented?  " 

"  Might  I  leave  you  with  them  for  a  few  minutes  ?  " 
Norgate  suggested.  "  There  is  a  man  here  whom  I 
want  to  talk  to.  I  will  come  back  for  you  in  half 
an  hour." 

"  You  must  meet  the  Prince  first,"  she  insisted. 
"  He  was  interested  when  he  heard  who  you  were." 

She  turned  to  the  little  group  who  were  awaiting" 
her  return.     The  Ambassador  moved  a  little  forward. 

"  Prince,"  she  said,  "  may  I  present  to  you  Mr. 
Francis  Norgate?  Mr.  Norgate  has  just  come  from 
Berlin." 

"  Not  with  the  kindliest  feelings  towards  us,  I  am 
afraid,"  remarked  the  Prince,  holding  out  his  hand. 


150  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

*'  I  hope,  however,  that  you  will  not  judge  us,  as  a 
nation,  too  severely." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  was  quite  prepared  to  like 
Germany,"  Norgate  declared.  "  I  was  simply  the 
victim  of  a  rather  unfortunate  happening." 

"  There  are  many  others  besides  myself  who  sin- 
cerely regret  it,"  the  Prince  said  courteously. 
*'  You  are  kind  enough  to  leave  the  Baroness  for  a 
little  time  in  our  charge.  We  will  take  the  greatest 
care  of  her,  and  I  hope  that  when  you  return  you 
will  give  me  the  great  pleasure  of  presenting  you  to 
the  Princess." 

*'  You  are  very  kind,"  Norgate  murmured. 

**  We  shall  meet  again,  then,"  the  Prince  declared, 
as  he  turned  away  with  Anna  by  his  side. 

"  In  half  an  hour,"  Anna  whispered,  smiling  at 
him  over  her  shoulder.      ,  ^ 

0 


CHAPTER  XX 

The  Right  Honourable  John  William  Heb- 
blethwaite  strolled  along  by  the  rails  of  the  polo 
ground,  exchanging  greetings  with  friends,  feeling 
very  well  content  with  himself  and  the  world  gener- 
ally. A  difficult  session  was  drawing  towards  an  end. 
The  problem  which  had  defeated  so  many  govern- 
ments seemed  at  last,  under  his  skilful  treatment, 
capable  of  solution.  Furthermore,  the  session  had 
been  one  which  had  added  to  his  reputation  both  as 
an  orator  and  a  statesman.  There  had  been  an  as- 
tonishingly flattering  picture  of  him  in  an  illustrated 
paper  that  week,  and  he  was  exceedingly  pleased  with 
the  effect  of  the  white  hat  which  he  was  wearing  at 
almost  a  jaunty  angle.  He  was  a  great  man  and  he 
knew  it.  Nevertheless,  he  greeted  Norgate  with  am- 
ple condescension  and  engaged  him  at  once  in  con- 
versation. 

"  Delighted  to  see  you  in  such  company,  my  young 
friend,"  he  declared.  "  I  think  that  half  an  hour's 
conversation  with  Prince  Herschfeld  would  put  some 
of  those  fire-eating  ideas  out  of  your  head.  That's 
the  man  whom  we  have  to  thank  for  the  everyday  im- 
provement of  our  relations  with  Germany." 

"  The  Prince  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  great 
diplomatist,"  Norgate  remarked. 

"  Added  to  which,"  Hebblethwaite  continued,  "  he 


152  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

came  over  here  charged,  as  you  might  say,  almost 
with  a  special  mission.     He  came  over  here  to  make 
friends  with  England.     He  has  done  it.     So  long  as 
we  have  him  in  London,  there  will  never  be  any  seri-  _ 
ous  fear  of  misunderstanding  between  the  two  coun- _ 
tries." 

"  What  a  howling  optimist  you  are !  "  Norgate  ob- 
served. 

"  My  young  friend,"  Hebblethwaite  protested,  "  I 
am  nothing  of  the  sort.  I  am  simply  a  man  of  much 
common  sense,  enj  oying,  I  may  add,  a  few  hours'  holi- 
day. By-the-by,  Norgate,  if  one  might  venture  to 
enquire  without  indiscretion,  who  was  the  remarkably 
charming  foreign  lady  whom  you  were  escorting?  " 

"  The  Baroness  von  Haase,"  Norgate  replied. 
**  She  is  an  Austrian." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  sighed.  He  rather  posed  as  an 
admirer  of  the  other  sex. 

"  You  young  fellows,"  he  declared,  "  who  travel 

^about  the  world,  are  jnuch. to  be  envied.     There  is  an 

U'  elegance  about  the  way  these  foreign  women  dress, 

a  care  for  detail  in  their  clothes  and  jewellery,  and 

a  carriage  which  one  seldom  finds  here." 

They  had  reached  the  far  end  of  the  field,  having 
turned  their  backs,  in  fact,  upon  the  polo  altogether. 
Norgate  suddenly  abandoned  their  conversation. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  in  an  altered  tone,  "  do  you 
feel  inclined  to  answer  a  few  questions?  " 

"  For  publication  ?  "  Hebblethwaite  asked  drily. 
**  You  haven't  turned  j  ournalist,  by  any  chance,  have 


you 


?  '» 


Norgate  shook  his  head.     "  Nevertheless,"  he  ad- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  153 

mitted,  "  I  have  changed  my  profession.  The  fact 
is  that  I  have  accepted  a  stipend  of  a  thousand  a 
year  and  have  become  a  German  spy." 

"  Good  luck  to  you !  "  exclaimed  Hebblethwaite, 
laughing  softly.  "  Well,  fire  away,  then.  You 
shall  pick  the  brains  of  a  Cabinet  Minister  at  your 
leisure,  so  long  as  you'll  give  me  a  cigarette  —  and 
present  me,  when  we  have  finished,  to  the  Baroness. 
The  country  has  no  secrets  from  you,  Norgate. 
Where  will  you  begin  ?  " 

"  Well,  you've  been  warned,  any  way,"  Norgate  re- 
minded him,  as  he  offered  his  cigarette  case.  "  Now 
tell  me.  It  is  part  of  my  job  to  obtain  from  you  a 
statement  of  your  opinion  as  to  exactly  how  far  our 
entente  with  France  is  binding  upon  us." 

Hebblethwaite  cleared  his  throat. 

"  If  this  is  for  publication,"  he  remarked,  "  could 
you  manage  a  photograph  of  myself  at  the  head  of 
the  interview,  in  these  clothes  and  with  this  hat?  I 
rather  fancy  myself  to-day.  A  pocket  kodak  is,  of 
course,  part  of  the  equipment  of  a  Grerman  spy." 

"  Sorry,"  Norgate  regretted,  "  but  that's  a  bit  out 
of  my  line.  I  am  the  disappointed  diplomatist,  do- 
ing the  dirty  work  among  my  late  friends.  What 
we  should  like  to  know  from  Mr.  Hebblethwaite,  con- 
fidentially narrated  to  a  personal  friend,  is  whether, 
in  the  event  of  a  war  between  Germany  and  Russia 
and  France,  England  would  feel  it  her  duty  to  inter- 
vene? " 

Hebblethwaite  glanced  around.  The  throng  of 
people  had  cleared  off  to  watch  the  concluding  stages 
of  the  match. 


154  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

**  I  have  a  sovereign  on  this,"  he  remarked,  glanc- 
ing at  his  card. 

"  Which  have  you  backed?  "  Norgate  enquired. 

"  The  Lancers." 

"  Well,  it's  any  odds  on  the  Hussars,  so  you've  lost 
your  money,"  Norgate  told  him. 

Hebblethwaite  sighed  resignedly.  "  Well,"  he 
said,  "  the  question  you  submit  is  a  problem  which 
has  presented  itself  to  us  once  or  twice,  although  I 
may  tell  you  that  there  isn't  a  soul  in  the  Cabinet  ex- 
cept one  who  believes  in  the  chance  of  war.  We  are 
not  a  fire-eating  lot,  you  know.  We  are  all  for 
peace,  and  we  believe  we  are  going  to  have  it.  How- 
ever, to  answer  your  questions  more  closely,  our  ob- 
ligations depend  entirely  upon  the  provocation  giv- 
ing cause  for  the  war.  If  France  and  Russia  pro- 
voked it  in  any  way,  we  should  remain  neutral.  If  it 
were  a  war  of  sheer  aggression  from  Germany  against 
France,  we  might  to  a  certain  extent  intervene. 
There  is  not  one  of  us,  however,  who  believes  for  a 
single  moment  that  Germany  would  enter  upon  such 
a  war." 

"  When  you  admit  that  we  might  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent intervene,"  Norgate  said,  "  exactly  how  should 
we  do  it,  I  wonder?  We  are  not  in  a  particular  state 
of  readiness  to  declare  war  upon  anybody  or  any- 
thing, are  we?  "  he  added,  as  they  turned  around  and 
strolled  once  more  towards  the  polo  ground. 

"  We  have  had  no  money  to  waste  upon  senseless 
armaments,"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  declared  severely, 
**  and  if  you  watch  the  social  measures  which  we  have 
passed  during  the  last  two  years,  you  will  see  that 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  155 

every  penny  we  could  spare  has  been  necessary  in  or- 
der to  get  them  into  working  order.  It  is  our  con- 
tention that  an  army  is  absolutely  unnecessary  and 
would  simply  have  the  effect  of  provoking  military 
reprisals.  If  we,  by  any  chance  in  the  future,  were 
drawn  into  war,  our  navy  would  be  at  the  service 
of  our  allies.  What  more  could  any  country  ask 
than  to  have  assured  for  them  the  absolute  control 
of  the  sea  ?  " 

"  That's  all  very  well,"  Norgate  assented.  "  It 
might  be  our  fair  share  on  paper,  and  yet  it  might 
not  be  enough.  What  about  our  navy  if  Antwerp, 
Ostend,  Dunkirk,  Calais,  Boulogne,  and  Havre  were 
all  German  ports,  as  they  certainly  would  be  in  an 
unassisted  conflict  between  the  French  and  the  Ger- 
mans ?  " 

They  were  within  hearing  now  of  the  music  of 
the  band.  Hebblethwaite  quickened  his  pace  a  lit- 
tle impatiently. 

"  Look  here,"  he  protested,  "  I  came  down  here 
for  a  holiday.  I  tell  you  frankly  that  I  believe  in 
the  possibility  of  war  just  as  much  as  I  believe  in 
the  possibility  of  an  earthquake.  My  own  personal 
feeling  is  that  it  is  just  as  necessary  to  make  prepara- 
tions against  one  as  the  other.  There  you  are,  my 
German  spy,  that's  all  I  have  to  say  to  you.  Here 
are  your  friends.  I  must  pay  my  respects  to  the 
Prince,  and  I  should  like  to  meet  your  charming  com- 
panion." 

Anna  detached  herself  from  a  little  group  of  men 
at  their  approach,  and  Norgate  at  once  introduced 
his  friend. 


156  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  have  only  been  able  to  induce  Mr.  Hebble- 
thwaite  to  talk  to  me  for  the  last  ten  minutes,"  he  de- 
clared, "  by  promising  to  present  him  to  you." 

"  A  ceremony  which  we  will  take  for  granted,"  she 
suggested,  holding  out  her  fingers.  "  Each  time  I 
have  come  to  London,  Mr.  Hebblethwaite,  I  have 
hoped  that  I  might  have  tliis  good  fortune.  You 
interest  us  so  much  on  the  Continent." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  bowed  and  looked  as  though  he 
would  have  liked  the  interest  to  have  been  a  little 
more  personal. 

"  You  see,"  Anna  explained,  as  she  stood  between 
the  two  men,  "  both  Austria  and  Germany,  the  two 
countries  where  I  spend  most  of  my  time,  are  almost 
military  ridden.  Our  great  statesmen,  or  the  men 
who  stand  behind  them,  are  all  soldiers.  You  repre- 
sent something  wholly  diiferent.  Your  nation  is  as 
great  and  as  prosperous  as  ours,  and  yet  you  are  a 
pacifist,  are  you  not,  Mr.  Hebblethwaite?  You 
scorn  any  preparations  for  war.  You  do  not  believe 
in  it.  You  give  back  the  money  that  we  should  spend 
in  military  or  naval  preparations  to  the  people,  for 
their  betterment.     It  is  very  wonderful." 

"  We  act  according  to  our  convictions,"  Mr.  Heb- 
blethwaite pronounced.  "  It  is  our  earnest  hope 
that  we  have  risen  sufficiently  in  the  scale  of  civilisa- 
tion to  be  able  to  devote  our  millions  to  more  moral 
objects  than  the  massing  of  armaments." 

"  And  you  have  no  fears  ?  "  she  persisted  earnestly. 
"You  honestly  believe  that  you  are  justified  in  let- 
ting the  fighting  spirit  of  your  people  lie  dormant  ?  " 

*'  I  honestly   believe  it.   Baroness,"   Mr.   Hebble- » 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  157 

thwaite  replied.  "  Life  is  a  battle  for  all  of  them,  but 
the  fighting  which  we  recognise  is  the  fight  for  moral 
and  commercial  supremacy,  the  lifting  of  the  peo- 
ple by  education  and  strenuous  effort  to  a  higher 
plane  of  prosperity." 

-  "  Of  course,"  Anna  murmured,  "  what  you  say 
sounds  frightfully  convincing.  History  only  will 
tell  us  whether  you  are  in  the  right." 

"  My  thirst,"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  observed,  glanc- 
ing towards  the  little  tables  set  out  under  the  trees> 
"  suggests  tea  and  strawberries." 

"  If  some  one  hadn't  offered  me  tea  in  a  moment 
or  two,"  Anna  declared,  "  I  should  have  gone  back 
to  the  Prince,  with  whom  I  must  confess  I  was  very 
bored.     Shall  we  discuss  politics  or  talk  nonsense?  " 

"  Talk  nonsense,"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  decided. 
"  This  is  my  holiday.  My  brain  has  stopped  work- 
ing. I  can  think  of  nothing  beyond  tea  and  straw- 
berries. We  will  take  that  table  under  the  elm  trees, 
and  you  shall  tell  us  all  about  Vienna." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Norgate,  after  leaving  Anna  at  her  hotel,  drove 
on  to  the  club,  where  he  arrived  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore seven.  Selingman  was  there  with  Prince  Ed- 
ward, and  half  a  dozen  others.  Selingman,  who 
happened  not  to  be  playing,  came  over  at  once  and 
sat  by  his  side  on  the  broad  fender. 

"  You  are  late,  my  young  f  reind,"  he  remarked. 

"  My  new  career,"  Norgate  replied,  "  makes  de- 
mands upon  me.  I  can  no  longer  spend  the  whole 
afternoon  playing  bridge.  I  have  been  attending  to 
business." 

"  It  is  very  good,"  Selingman  declared  amiably. 
*'  That  is  the  way  I  like  to  hear  you  talk.  To 
amuse  oneself  is  good,  but  to  work  is  better  still. 
Have  you,  by  chance,  any  report  to  make?  " 

"  I  have  had  a  long  conversation  with  Mr.  Heb- 
hlethwaite  at  Ranelagh  this  afternoon,"  Norgate  an- 
nounced. 

There  was  a  sudden  change  in  Selingman's  ex- 
pression, a  glint  of  eagerness  in  his  eyes. 

"  With  Hebblethwaite !  You  have  begun  well. 
He  is  the  man  above  all  others  of  whose  views  we 
wish  to  feel  absolutely  certain.  We  know  that  he  is 
a  strong  man  and  a  pacifist,  but  a  pacifist  to  what 
extent?  That  is  what  we  wish  to  be  clear  about. 
Now  tell  me,  you  spoke  to  him  seriously?  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  159 

"  Very  seriously,  indeed,"  Norgate  assented. 
**  The  subject  suggested  itself  naturally,  and  I  con- 
trived to  get  him  to  discuss  the  possibilities  of  a  Euro- 
pean war.  I  posed  rather  as  a  pessimist,  but  he  sim- 
ply jeered  at  me.  He  assured  me  that  an  earthquake 
was  more  probable.  I  pressed  him  on  the  subject  of 
the  entente.  He  spoke  of  it  as  a  thing  of  romance 
and  sentiment,  having  no  place  in  any  possible  devel- 
opment of  the  international  situation.  I  put  hy- 
pothetical cases  of  a  European  war  before  him,  but 
he  only  scoffed  at  me.  On  one  point  only  was  he 
absolutely  and  entirely  firm  —  imder  no  circum- 
stances whatever  would  the  present  Cabinet  declare 
war  upon  anybody.  If  the  nation  found  itself  face 
to  face  with  a  crisis,  the  Government  would  simply 
choose  the  most  dignified  and  advantageous  solu- 
tion which  embraced  peace.  In  short,  there  is  one 
thing  which  you  may  count  upon  as  absolutely  cer- 
tain. If  England  goes  to  war  at  any  time  within 
the  next  four  years,  it  will  be  under  some  other  gov- 
ernment." 

Selingman  was  vastly  interested.  He  had  drawn 
very  close  to  Norgate,  his  pudgy  hands  stretched 
out  upon  his  knees.  He  dropped  his  voice  so  that 
it  was  audible  only  a  few  feet  away. 

"  Let  me  put  an  extreme  case,"  he  suggested. 
"  Supposing  Russia  and  Germany  were  at  war,  and 
France,  as  Russia's  ally,  were  compelled  to  mobil- 
ise. It  would  not  be  a  war  of  Germany's  provoca- 
tion, but  Germany,  in  self-defence,  would  be  bound 
to  attack  France.  She  might  also  be  compelled  by 
strategic  considerations  to  invade  Belgium.     What 


i6o  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

do  you  think  your  friend  Hebblethwaite  would  say 
to  that?  " 

"  I  am  perfectly  convinced,"  Norgate  replied, 
*'  that  Hebblethwaite  would  work  for  peace  at  any. 
price.  The  members  of  our  present  Government  are 
pacifists,  every  one  of  them,  with  the  possible  excep- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty." 

"  Ah !  "  Mr.  Selingman  murmured.  "  Mr.  Spen- 
cer Wyatt !  He  is  the  gentleman  who  clamours  so 
hard  and  fights  so  well  for  his  navy  estimates.  Last 
time,  though,  not  all  his  eloquence  could  prevail. 
They  were  cut  down  almost  a  half,  eh?  " 

"  I  believe  that  was  so,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt,  eh?  "  Selingman  continued, 
his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ceiling.  "  Well,  well,  one 
cannot  wonder  at  his  attitude.  It  is  not  his  role  to 
pose  as  an  economist.  He  is  responsible  for  the  navy. 
Naturally  he  wants  a  big  navy.  I  wonder  what  his 
influence  in  the  Cabinet  really  is." 

"  As  to  that,"  Norgate  observed,  "  I  know  no  more 
than  the  man  in  the  street." 

**  Naturally,"  Mr.  Selingman  agreed.  "  I  was 
thinking  to  myself." 

There  was  a  brief  silence.  Norgate  glanced 
around  the  room. 

"  I  don't  see  Mrs.  Benedek  here  this  afternoon," 
he  remarked. 

Selingman  shook  his  head  solemnly. 

"  The  inquest  on  the  death  of  that  poor  fellow 
Baring  is  being  held  to-day,"  he  explained.  "  That 
is  why  she  is  staying  away.  A  sad  thing  that,  Nor- 
gate —  a  very  sad  happening." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  i6i 

"  It  was  indeed." 

"  And  mysterious,"  Selingman  went  on.  "  The 
man  apparently,  an  hour  before,  was  in  high  spir- 
its. The  special  work  upon  which  he  was  engaged 
at  the  Admiralty  was  almost  finished.  He  had  re- 
ceived high  praise  for  his  share  in  it.  Every  one 
who  had  seen  him  that  day  spoke  of  him  as  in  abso- 
lutely capital  form.  Suddenly  he  whips  out  a  re- 
volver from  his  desk  and  shoots  himself,  and  all  that 
any  one  knows  is  that  he  was  rung  up  by  some  one 
on  the  telephone.  There's  a  puzzle  for  you,  Nor- 
gate." 

Norgate  made  no  reply.  He  felt  Selingman's  eyes 
upon  him. 

"  A  wonderful  plot  for  the  sensational  novelist. 
To  the  ordinary  human  being  who  knew  Baring,  there 
remains  a  substratum  almost  of  uneasiness.  Where 
did  that  voice  come  from  that  spoke  along  the  wires, 
and  what  was  its  message?  Baring,  by  all  accounts, 
had  no  secrets  in  his  life.  What  was  the  message  — 
a  warning  or  a  threat  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  read  the  account  of  the  inquest,"  Nor- 
gate observed.  "  Wasn't  it  possible  to  trace  the 
person  who  rang  up,  through  the  telephone  office.?  " 

"  In  an  ordinary  case,  yes,"  Selingman  agreed. 
"  In  this  case,  no !  The  person  who  rang  up  made 
use  of  a  call  office.  But  come,  it  is  a  gloomy  subject, 
this.  I  wish  I  had  known  that  you  were  likely  to 
see  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  this  afternoon.  Bear  this  in 
mind  in  case  you  should  come  across  him  again.  It 
would  interest  me  very  much  to  know  whether  any 
breach  of  friendship  has  taken  place  at  all  between 


i62  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

him  and  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt.  Do  you  know  Spen- 
cer Wyatt,  by-the-by  ?  " 

"  Only  slightly,"  Norgate  replied.  "  Not  well 
enough  to  talk  to  him  intimately,  as  I  can  do  to 
Hebblethwaite." 

"  Well,  remember  that  last  little  commission," 
Selingman  concluded.  "  Are  you  staying  on  or  leav- 
ing now?  If  you  are  going,  we  will  walk  together. 
A  little  exercise  is  good  for  me  sometimes.  My  fig- 
ure requires  it.  It  is  a  very  short  distance,  but  it  is 
better  than  nothing  at  all." 

"  I  am  quite  ready,"  Norgate  assured  him. 

They  left  the  room  and  descended  the  stairs  to- 
gether. At  the  entrance  to  the  building,  Selingman 
paused  for  a  moment.  Then  he  seemed  suddenly  to 
remember. 

"  It  is  habit,"  he  declared.  "  I  stand  here  for  a 
taxi,  but  we  have  agreed  to  walk,  is  it  not  so? 
Come ! " 

Norgate  was  looking  across  the  street  to  the 
other  side  of  the  pavement.  A  man  was  standing 
there,  engaged  in  conversation  with  a  plainly- 
dressed  young  woman.  To  Norgate  there  was  some- 
thing vaguely  familiar  about  the  latter,  who  turned 
to  glance  at  him  as  they  strolled  by  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road.  It  was  not  until  they  reached  the 
corner  of  the  street,  however,  that  he  remembered. 
She  was  the  young  woman  at  the  telephone  call  of- 
fice near  Westboume  Grove! 

J 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  was  undoubtedly  annoyed.  He 
found  himself  regretting  more  than  ever  the  good 
nature  which  had  prompted  him  to  give  this  visitor 
an  audience  at  a  most  unusual  hour.  He  had  been 
forced  into  the  uncomfortable  position  of  listening 
to  statements  the  knowledge  of  which  was  a  serious 
embarrassment  to  him. 

"  Whatever  made  you  come  to  me,  Mr.  Harrison  ?  " 
he  exclaimed,  when  at  last  his  caller's  disclosures  had 
been  made.     "  It  isn't  my  department." 

"  I  came  to  you,  sir,"  the  official  replied,  "  because 
I  have  the  privilege  of  knowing  you  personally,  and 
because  I  was  quite  sure  that  in  your  hands  the  mat- 
ter would  be  treated  wisely." 

"You  are  sure  of  your  facts,  I  suppose.''  " 

"  Absolutely,  sir." 

*'  I  do  not  know  much  about  navy  procedure," 
Mr.  Hebblethwaite  said  thoughtfully,  "  but  it 
scarcely  seems  to  me  possible  for  what  you  tell  me  to 
have  been  kept  secret." 

"  It  is  not  only  possible,  sir,"  the  man  assured 
him,  "  but  it  has  been  done  before  in  Lord  J^arles 
Beresford's  time.  You  will  find,  if  you  make  enquir- 
ies, that  not  only  are  the  Press  excluded  to-day  from 
the  shipbuilding  yards  in  question,  but  the  work-peo- 
ple ere  living  almost  in  barracks.     There  are  double 


i64  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

sentries  at  every  gate,  and  no  one  is  permitted  un- 
der any  circumstances  to  pass  the  outer  line  of  of- 
fices." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  sat,  for  a  few  moments,  deep 
in  thought. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Harrison,"  he  said  at  last,  "  there  is 
no  doubt  that  you  have  done  what  you  conceived  to 
be  your  duty,  although  I  must  tell  you  frankly  that 
I  wish  you  had  either  kept  what  you  know  to  your- 
self or  taken  the  information  somewhere  else.  Since 
you  have  brought  it  to  me,  let  me  ask  you  this  ques- 
tion. Are  you  taking  any  further  steps  in  the  mat- 
ter at  all.?" 

"  Certainly  not,  sir,"  was  the  quiet  reply.  "  I 
consider  that  I  have  done  my  duty  and  finished  with 
it,  when  I  leave  this  room." 

"  You  are  content,  then,"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  ob- 
served, "  to  leave  this  matter  entirely  in  my 
hands?" 

"  Entirely,  sir,"  the  official  assented.  "  I  am  per- 
fectly content,  from  this  moment,  to  forget  all  that 
I  know.  Whatever  your  judgment  prompts  you  to 
do,  will,  I  feel  sure,  be  satisfactory." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  rose  to  his  feet  and  held  out 
his  hand. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Harrison,"  he  concluded,  "  you  have 
performed  a  disagreeable  duty  in  a  tactful  manner. 
Personally,  I  am  not  in  the  least  grateful  to  you, 
for,  as  I  dare  say  you  know,  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt  is 
a  great  friend  of  mine.  As  a  member  of  the  Govern- 
ment, however,  I  think  I  can  promise  you  that  your 
services  shall  not  be  forgotten.     Good  evening ! " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  165 

The  official  departed.  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  thrust 
his  hands  into  his  pockets,  glanced  at  the  clock  im- 
patiently, and  made  use  of  an  expression  which  sel- 
dom passed  his  lips.  He  was  in  evening  dress,  and 
due  to  dine  with  his  wife  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Park.  Furthermore,  he  was  very  hungry.  The 
whole  affair  was  most  annoying.     He  rang  the  bell. 

"  Ask  Mr.  Bedells  to  come  here  at  once,"  he  told 
the  servant,  "  and  tell  your  mistress  I  am  exceed- 
ingly sorry,  but  I  shall  be  detained  here  for  some 
time.  She  had  better  go  on  without  me  and  send  the 
car  back.  I  will  come  as  soon  as  I  can.  Explain 
that  it  is  a  matter  of  official  business.  When  you 
have  seen  Mrs.  Hebblethwaite,  you  can  bring  me  a 
glass  of  sherry  and  a  biscuit." 

The  man  withdrew,  and  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  opened 
a  telephone  directory.  In  a  few  moments  Mr.  Be- 
dells, who  was  his  private  secretary,  appeared. 

"  Richard,"  his  chief  directed,  "  ring  up  Mr.  Spen- 
cer Wyatt.  Tell  him  that  whatever  his  engage- 
ments may  be,  I  wish  to  see  him  here  for  five  min- 
utes. If  he  is  out,  you  must  find  out  where  he  is. 
You  can  begin  by  ringing  up  at  his  house." 

Bedells  devoted  himself  to  the  telephone.  Mr. 
Hebblethwaite  munched  a  biscuit  and  sipped  his 
sherry.  Presently  the  latter  laid  down  the  telephone 
and  reported  success. 

"  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt  was  on  his  way  to  a  city 
dinner,  sir,"  he  announced.  "  They  caught  him  in 
the  hall  and  he  will  call  here." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  nodded.  "  See  that  he  is  sent 
up  directly  he  comes." 


i66  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

In  less  than  five  minutes  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt  was 
ushered  in.  He  was  wearing  the  uniform  of  an  Ad- 
miral of  the  Fleet  —  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  man, 
fair  complexioned,  and  with  the  bearing  of  a  sailor. 

*'  Hullo,  Hebblethwaite,  what's  wrong?  "  he  asked. 
**  Your  message  just  caught  me.  I  am  dining  with 
the  worshipful  tanners  —  turtle  soup  and  all  the  rest 
of  it.     Don't  let  me  miss  more  than  I  can  help." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  walked  to  the  door  to  be  sure 
that  it  was  closed  and  came  back  again. 

"  Look  here,  Wyatt,"  he  exclaimed,  "  what  the 
devil  have  you  been  up  to  ?  " 

Wyatt  whistled  softly.  A  light  broke  across  his 
face. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  You  know  perfectly  well  what  I  mean,"  Heb- 
blethwaite continued.  "  Five  weeks  ago  we  had  it 
all  out  at  a  Cabinet  meeting.  You  asked  Parlia- 
ment to  lay  down  six  battleships,  four  cruisers,  thir- 
ty-five submarines,  and  twelve  torpedo  boats.  You 
remember  what  a  devil  of  a  row  there  was.  Even- 
tually we  compromised  for  half  the  number  of  bat- 
tleships, two  cruisers,  and  the  full  amount  of  small 
craft." 

"Well.?" 

"  I  am  given  to  understand,"  Hebblethwaite  said 
slowly,  "  that  you  have  absolutely  disregarded  the 
vote  —  that  the  whole  number  of  battleships  are 
practically  commenced,  and  the  whole  number  of 
cruisers,  and  rather  more  than  the  number  of  smaller 
craft." 

Wyatt  threw  his  cocked  hat  upon  the  table. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  167 

**  Well,  I  am  up  against  it  a  bit  sooner  than  I  ex- 
pected," he  remarked.     "Who's  been  peachjng?  " 

"  Never  mind,"  Hebblethwaite  replied.  "  I  am  not 
telling  you  that.  You've  managed  the  whole  thing 
very  cleverly,  and  you  know  very  well,  Wyatt,  that 
I  am  on  your  side.  I  was  on  your  side  in  pressing 
the  whole  of  your  proposals  upon  the  Cabinet,  al- 
though honestly  I  think  they  were  far  larger  than 
necessary.  However,  we  took  a  fair  vote,  and  we 
compromised.  You  had  no  more  right  to  do  what 
you  have  done — " 

"  I  admit  it,  Hebblethwaite,"  Wyatt  interrupted 
quickly.  "  Of  course,  if  this  comes  out,  my  resig- 
nation's ready  for  you,  but  I  tell  you  frankly,  as 
man  to  man,  I  can't  go  on  with  my  job,  and  I  won't, 
unless  I  get  the  ships  voted  that  I  need.  We  are  be- 
hind our  standard  now.  I  spent  twenty-four  hours 
making  up  my  mind  whether  I  should  resign  or  take 
this  risk.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  should 
serve  my  country  better  by  taking  the  risk.  So  there 
you  are.     What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it.''  " 

"What  the  mischief  can  I  do  about  it.f*  "  Heb- 
blethwaite demanded  irritably.  "  You  are  putting 
me  in  an  impossible  position.  Let  me  ask  you  this, 
Wyatt.  Is  there  anything  at  the  back  of  your  head 
that  the  man  in  the  street  doesn't  know  about.''  " 

"  Yes ! " 

"What  is  it,  then.?" 

"  I  have  reasons  to  believe,"  Wyatt  announced  de- 
liberately, "  reasons  which  are  quite  sufficient  for  me, 
although  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  get  up  in  Par- 
liament and  state  them,  that  Germany  is   secretly 


i68  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

making  preparations  for  war  either  before  the  end  of 
this  year  or  the  beginning  of  next." 

Hebblethwaite  threw  himself  into  an  easy-chair. 

"  Sit  down,  Wyatt,"  he  said,  "  Your  dinner  can 
wait  for  a  few  minutes.  I  have  had  another  man  — 
only  a  youngster,  and  he  doesn't  know  anything  — 
talking  to  me  like  that.  We  are  fully  acquainted 
with  everything  that  is  going  on  behind  the  scenes. 
All  our  negotiations  with  Germany  are  at  this  mo- 
ment upon  the  most  friendly  footing.  We  haven't 
a  single  matter  in  dispute.  Old  Busby,  as  you  know, 
has  been  over  in  Berlin  himself  and  has  come  back  a 
confirmed  pacifist.  If  he  had  his  way,  our  army 
would  practically  cease  to  exist.  He  has  been  on 
the  spot.  He  ought  to  know,  and  the  army's  his 
job." 

"  Busily,"  Wyatt  declared,  "  is  the  silliest  old  ass 
who  ever  escaped  petticoats  by  the  mere  accident 
of  sex.  I  tell  you  he  is  just  the  sort  of  idiot  the 
Germans  have  been  longing  to  get  hold  of  and  twist 
round  their  fingers.  Before  twelve  months  or  two 
years  have  passed,  you'll  curse  the  name  of  that 
man,  when  you  look  at  the  mess  he  has  made  of  the 
army.  Peace  is  all  very  well  —  universal  peace. 
The  only  way  we  can  secure  it  is  by  being  a  good 
deal  stronger  than  we  are  at  present." 

*'  That  is  your  point  of  view,"  Hebblethwaite  re- 
minded him.  "  I  tell  you  frankly  that  I  incline  to- 
wards Busby's." 

"  Then  you'll  eat  your  words,"  Wyatt  asserted, 
"  before  many  months  are  out.  I,  too,  have  been  in 
Germany  lately,  although  I  was  careful  to  go  as  a 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  169 

tourist,  and  I  have  picked  up  a  little  information. 
I  tell  jou  it  isn't  for  nothing  that  Germany  has  a 
complete  list  of  the  whole  of  her  rolling  stock,  the 
actual  numbers  in  each  compartment  registered  and 
reserved  for  the  use  of  certain  units  of  her  troops. 
I  tell  you  that  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the 
other  her  state  of  military  preparedness  is  amazing. 
She  has  but  to  press  a  button,  and  a  million  men 
have  their  rifles  in  their  iiands,  their  knapsacks  on 
their  backs,  and  each  regiment  knows  exactly  jit 
which  station  and  by  what  train  to  embark.  She  is 
making  Zeppelins  night  and  day,  training  her  men 
till  they  drop  with  exhaustion.  Krupp's  works  are 
guarded  by  double  lines  of  sentries.  There  are  se- 
crets there  which  no  one  can  penetrate.  And  all 
the  time  she  is  building  ships  feverishly.  Look  here 
—  you  know  my  cousin.  Lady  Emily  Fakenham.''  " 

"  Of  course !  "' 

*'  Only  yesterday,"  Wyatt  continued  impressively, 
"  she  showed  me  a  letter  —  I  read  it,  mind  —  from 
a  cousin  of  Prince  Hohenlowe.  She  met  him  at 
Monte  Carlo  this  year,  and  they  had  a  sort  of  flir- 
tation. In  the  postscript  he  says :  '  If  you  take 
my  advdce,  don't  go  to  Dinard  this  August.  Don't 
be  further  away  from  home  than  you  can  help  at  all 
this  summer.'     What  do  you  think  that  meant?  " 

"  It  sounds  queer,"  Hebblethwaite  admitted. 

"  Germany  is  bound  to  have  a  knock  at  us,"  Spen- 
cer Wyatt  went  on.  "  We've  talked  of  it  so  long 
that  the  words  pass  over  our  heads,  as  it  were,  but 
she  means  it.  And  I  tell  you  another  thing.  She 
means  to  do  it  while  there's  a  Radical  Government 


170  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

in  power  here,  and  before  Russia  finishes  her  reor- 
ganisation scheme.  I  am  not  a  soldier,  Heb- 
blethwaite,  but  the  fellows  we've  got  up  at  the  top 
—  not  the  soldiers  themselves  but  the  chaps  like  old 
Busby  and  Simons  —  are  simply  out  and  out  rotters. 
That's  plain  speaking,  isn't  it,  but  you  and  I  are 
the  two  men  concerned  in  the  government  of  this 
country  who  do  talk  common  sense  to  one  another. 
We've  fine  soldiers  and  fine  organisers,  but  they've 
been  given  the  go-by  simply  because  they  know  their 
job  and  would  insist  upon  doing  it  thoroughly,  if 
at  all.  Russia  wUl  have  another  four  million  men 
ready  to  be  called  up  by  the  end  of  1915,  and  not 
only  that,  but  what  is  more  important,  is  that  she'll 
have  the  arras  and  the  uniforms  for  them.  Ger- 
many isn't  going  to  wait  for  that.  I've  thought  it 
all  out.  We  are  going  to  get  it  in  the  neck  before 
seven  or  eight  months  have  passed,  and  if  you  want 
to  know  the  truth,  Hebblethwaite,  that's  why  I  have 
taken  a  risk  and  ordered  these  ships.     The  navy  is 

my  care,  and  it's  m^  job  to  see  that  we  keep  it  up - 

to  the  proper  standard.  Whose  votes  rob  me  of 
my  extra  battleships?  Why,  just  a  handful  of 
Labour  men  and  Irishmen  and  cocoa  Liberals,  who 
haven't  an  Imperial  idea  in  their  brains,  who  think 
war  belongs  to  the  horrors  of  the  past,  and  think 
they're  doing  their  duty  by  what  they  call  '  keep- 
ing down  expenses.'  Hang  it,  Hebblethwaite,  it's 
worse  than  a  man  who  won't  pay  fire  insurance  for 
his  house  in  a  dangerous  neighbourhood,  so  as  to  save 
a  bit  of  money!  What  I've  done  I  stick  to.  Split 
on  me,  if  you  want  to." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  171 

"I  don't  think  I  shall  do  that,"  Hebblethwaite 
said,  "  but  honestly,  Wyatt,  I  can't  follow  you  in, 
your  war  talk.  We  got  over  the  Agadir  trouble. 
We've  got  over  a  much  worse  one  —  the  Balkan  crisis. 
There  isn't  a  single  contentious  question  before  us 
just  now.     The  sky  is  almost  clear." 

"  Believe  me,"  Wyatt  insisted  earnestly,  "  that's 
just  the  time  to  look  for  the  thunderbolt.  Can't 
you  see  that  when  Grermany  goes  to  war,  it  will  be 
a  war  of  conquest,  the  war  which  she  has  planned 
for  all  these  years?  She'll  choose  her  own  time,  and 
she'll  make  a  casus  belli,  right  enough,  when  the  time 
comes.  Of  course,  she'd  have  taken  advantage  of  the 
position  last  year,  but  she  simply  wasn't  ready.  If 
you  ask  me,  I  believe  she  thinks  herself  now  able  to 
lick  the  whole  of  Europe.  I  am  not  at  all  sure, 
thanks  to  Busby  and  our  last  fifteen  years'  military- 
administration,  that  she  wouldn't  have  a  good  chance 
of  doing  it.  Any  way,  I  am  not  going  to  have  my 
fleet  cut  down." 

"  The  country  is  prosperous,"  Hebblethwaite  ac- 
knowledged.    "  We  can  afford  the  ships." 

"  Then  look  here,  old  chap,"  Wyatt  begged,  "  I 
am  not  pleading  for  my  own  sake,  but  the  country's. 
Keep  your  mouth  shut.  See  what  the  next  month 
or  two  brings.  If  there's  trouble  —  well,  I  don't 
suppose  I  shall  be  jumped  on  then.  If  there  isn't, 
and  you  want  a  victim,  here  I  am.  I  disobeyed  or- 
ders flagrantly.  My  resignation  is  in  my  desk  at  any 
moment." 

Hebblethwaite  glanced  at  the  clock. 

"  I  am  very  hungry,"  he  said,  "  and  I  have  a  long 


172  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

way  to  go  for  dinner.  We'll  let  it  go  at  that,  Wjatt. 
I'll  try  and  keep  things  quiet  for  jou.  If  it  comes 
out,  well,  you  know  the  risk  you  run." 

"  I  know  the  bigger  risk  we  are  all  running," 
Wyatt  declared,  as  he  took  a  cigarette  from  an  open 
box  on  the  table  by  his  side  and  turned  towards  the 
door.  "  I'll  manage  the  turtle  soup  now,  with  luck. 
You're  a  good  fellow,  Hebblethwaite.  I  know  it 
goes  against  the  grain  with  you,  but,  by  Jove,  you 
may  be  thankful  for  this  some  time  I " 

The  Right  Honourable  John  William  Hebble- 
thwaite took  the  hat  from  his  footman,  stepped  into 
his  car,  and  was  driven  rapidly  away.  He  leaned 
back  among  the  cushions,  more  thoughtful  than 
usual.  There  was  a  yellow  moon  in  the  sky,  pale 
as  yet.  The  streets  were  a  tangled  vortex  of  motor- 
cars and  taxies,  all  filled  with  men  and  women  in  even- 
ing dress.  It  was  the  height  of  a  wonderful  season. 
Everywhere  was  dominant  the  note  of  prosperity, 
gaiety,  even  splendour.  The  houses  in  Park  Lane, 
flower-decked,  displayed  through  their  wide-flung 
windows  a  constant  panorama  of  brilliantly-lit  rooms. 
Every  one  was  entertaining.  In  the  Park  on  the 
other  side  were  the  usual  crowd  of  earnest,  hard- 
faced  men  and  women,  gathered  in  little  groups 
around  the  orator  of  the  moment.  Hebblethwaite 
felt  a  queer  premonition  that  evening.  A  man  of 
sanguine  temperament,  thoroughly  contented  with 
himself  and  his  position,  he  seemed  almost  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life,  to  have  doubts,  to  look  into 
the  future,  to  feel  the  rumblings  of  an  earthquake, 
the  great  dramatic  cry  of  a  nation  in  the  throes  of 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  173 

suffering.  Had  they  been  wise,  all  these  years,  to 
have  legislated  as  though  the  old  dangers  by  land 
and  sea  had  passed?  —  to  have  striven  to  make  the 
people  fat  and  prosperous,  to  have  turned  a  deaf  ear 
to  every  note  of  warning?  Supposing  the  other 
thing  were  true!  Supposing  Norgate  and  Spencer 
Wyatt  had  found  the  truth !  What  would  history 
have'to  say  then  of  this  Government  of  which  he  was 
so  proud?  Would  it  be  possible  that  they  had 
brought  the  country  to  a  great  prosperity  by  de- 
stroying the  very  bulwarks  of  its  security? 

The  car  drew  up  with  a  jerk,  and  Hebblethwaite 
came  back  to  earth.  Nevertheless,  he  promised  him- 
self, as  he  hastened  across  the  pavement,  that  on  the 
morrow  he  would  pay  a  long-delayed  visit  to  the  War 
Office.  ^ 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Anna  was  seated,  a  few  days  later,  with  her  dear- 
est friend,  the  Princess  of  Thurm,  in  a  corner  of  the 
royal  enclosure  at  Ascot.  For  the  first  time  since 
their  arrival  they  found  themselves  alone.  From  un- 
derneath her  parasol  the  Princess  looked  at  her 
friend  curiously. 

"  Anna,"  she  said,  "  something  has  happened  to 
jou." 

"  Perhaps,  but  explain  yourself,"  Anna  replied 
composedly. 

"  It  is  so  simple.  There  you  sit  in  a  Doucet 
gown,  perfection  as  ever,  from  the  aigrette  in  your 
hat  to  those  delicately  pointed  shoes.  You  have  been 
positively  hunted  by  all  the  nicest  men  —  once  or 
twice,  indeed,  I  felt  myself  neglected  —  and  not  a 
smile  have  I  seen  upon  your  lips.  You  go  about, 
looking  just  a  little  beyond  everything.  What  did 
you  see,  child,  over  the  tops  of  the  trees  in  the  pad- 
dock, when  LarjdL -Wilton  was  trying  so  hard  to  en- 
tertain you  ?  " 

"  An  affair  of  moods,  I  imagine,"  Anna  declared. 
**  Somehow  I  don't  feel  quite  in  the  humour  for  Ascot 
to-day.  To  be  quite  frank,"  she  went  on,  turning 
her  head  slowly,  "  I  rather  wonder  that  you  do.  Mil- 

iked*!! 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  175 

The  Princess  raised  her  eyebrows. 

*'Why  not?  Everything,  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, is  couleur  de  rose.  Madame  Blanche  de- 
clared yesterday  that  my  complexion  would  last  for 
twenty  years.  I  found  a  dozen  of  the  most  ador- 
able hats  in  Paris.  The  artist  who  designs  my 
frocks  was  positively  inspired  the  last  time  I  sat  to 
him.  I  am  going  to  see  Maurice  in  a  few  weeks, 
and  meanwhile  I  have  several  new  flirtations  which 
interest  me  amazingly.  As  for  you,  my  chUd,  one 
would  imagine  that  you  had  lost  your  taste  for  all 
frivolity.  You  are  as  cold  as  granite.  Be  careful, 
dear.  The  men  of  to-day,  in  this  country,  at  any 
rate,  are  spoilt.  Sometimes  they  are  even  uncourtier- 
like  enough  to  accept  a  woman's  refusal." 

*'  Well,"  Anna  observed,  smiling  faintly,  "  even  a 
lifetime  at  Court  has  not  taught  me  to  dissimu- 
late. I  am  heavy-hearted,  Mildred.  You  wondered 
what  I  was  looking  at  when  I  gazed  over  those  green 
trees  under  which  all  those  happy  people  were  walk- 
ing. I  was  looking  out  across  the  North  Sea.  I 
was  looking  through  Belgium  to  Paris.  I  saw  a  vast 
curtain  roll  up,  and  everything  beyond  it  was  a 
blood-stained  panorama." 

A  shade  rested  for  a  moment  on  her  companion's 
fair  face.      She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  We've  known  for  a  long  time,  dear,  that  it  must 
come." 

"  But  all  the  same,  in  these  last  moments  it  is  ter- 
rible," Anna  insisted.  "  Seriously,  Mildred,  I  won- 
der that  I  should  feel  it  more  than  you.  You  are  ab- 
solutely   English.     Your    father    is    English,    your 


176  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

mother  is  English.     It  is  only  your  husband  that  is 
Austrian.     You  have  lived  in  Austria  only  for  seven 
y§5tE&     Has  that  been  sufficient  to  destroy  all  your 
patriotism,  all  your  love  for  your  own  country.?  " 
The  Princess  made  a  little  grimace. 
"  My  dear  Anna,"  she  said,  "  I  am  not  so  serious 
a  person  as  you  are.     I  am  profoundly,  incompre- 
hensibly selfish.     The  only  human  being  in  the  whole 
'  world  for  whom  I  have  had  a  spark  of  real  affection 
I  is  Maurice,  and  I  adore  him.     What  he  has  told  me 
\  to  do,  I  have  done.     What  makes  him  happy  makes 
me  happy.     For  his  sake,  even,  I  have  forgotten  and 
shall   always   forget   that  I   was   born   an   English- 
woman.    Circumstances,  too,"  she  went  on  thought- 
fully, "  have  made  it  so  easy.     England  is  such  a 
changed  country.     When  I  was  a  child,  I  could  read_ 
of  the  times  when  our  kings  really  ruled,  of  our  bat- 
tles for^  dominion,  of  our  fight  for  colonies,  of  our" 
building  up  a  great  empire,  and  I  could  feel  just  a 
little  thrill.     I  can't  now.     We  have  gone  ahead  of 
Napoleon.     From  a  nation  of  shop-keepers  we  have 
become  a  nation  of  general  dealers  —  a   fat,   over- 
confident, bourgeois  people.     Socialism  has  its  hand 
upon  the  throat  of  the  classes.     Park  Lane,  where 
/  our  aristocracy  lived,  is  filled  with  the  mansions  of 
!,  South  African  Jews,  whom  one  must  meet  here  or 
keep  out  of  society  altogether.     Our  country  houses 
have  gone  the  same  way.     Our  Court  set  is  dowdy, 
dull  to  a  degree,  and  common  in  a  different  fashion. 
You  are  right.     I  have  lost  my  love  for  England, 
partly  because  of  my   marriage,  partly  because   of 
those  things  which  have  come  to  England  herself." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  177 

For  the  first  time  there  was  a  little  flush  of  colour 
in  Anna's  exquisitely  pale  cheeks.  There  was  even 
animation  in  her  tone  as  she  turned  towards  her 
friend. 

"  Mildred,"  she  exclaimed,  **  it  is  splendid  to  hear 
you  say  what  is  really  in  your  mind!  I  am  so  glad 
you  have  spoken  to  me  like  this.  I  feel  these  things, 
too.  Now  I  am  not  nearly  so  English  as  you.  My 
mother  was  English  and  my  father  Austrian.  There- 
fore, only  half  of  me  should  be  English.  Yet,  al- 
though I  am  so  much  further  removed  from  Eng- 
land than  you  are,  I  have  suddenly  felt  a  return  of 
all  my  old  affection  for  her." 

"  You  are  going  to  tell  me  why .''  "  her  companion 
begged. 

"  Of  course !  It  is  because  I  believe  —  it  is  tooi 
ridiculous  —  but  I  believe  that  I  am  in  your  posi- 
tion with  the  circumstances  reversed.  I  am  begin- 
ning to  care  in  the  most  foolish  way  for  an  unmis- 
takable Englishman." 

"  If  we  had  missed  this  little  chance  of  conver- 
sation," the  Princess  declared,  "  I  should  have  been 
miserable  for  the  rest  of  my  life !  There  is  the  Duke 
hanging  about  behind.  For  heaven's  sake,  don't 
turn.  Thank  goodness  he  has  gone  away !  Now  go 
on,  dear.  Tell  me  about  him  at  once.  I  can't  imag- 
ine who  it  may  be.  I  have  watched  you  with  so  many 
men,  and  I  know  quite  well,  so  long  as  that  little 
curl  is  at  the  corner  of  your  lips,  that  they  none  of 
them  count.     Do  I  know  him  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  think  so,"  Anna  replied.  "  He  is  not 
a  very  important  person." 


178  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  It  isn't  the  man  jou  were  dining  with  in  the  Cafe 
de  Berlin  when  Prince  Karl  came  in  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  he !  " 

The  Princess  made  a  little  grimace. 

"  But  how  unsuitable,  my  dear,"  she  exclaimed, 
*'  if  you  are  really  in  earnest !  What  is  the  use  of 
your  thinking  of  an  Englishman?  He  is  quite  nice, 
I  know.  His  mother  and  my  mother  were  friends, 
and  we  met  once  or  twice.  He  was  very  kind  to  me 
in  Paris,  too.     But  for  a  serious  affair  — " 

"  Well,  it  may  not  come  to  that,"  Anna  inter- 
rupted, "  but  there  it  is.  I  suppose  that  it  is  partly 
for  his  sake  that  I  feel  this  depression." 

"  I  should  have  thought  that  he  himself  would  have 
been  a  little  out  of  sympathy  with  his  country  just 
now,"  the  Princess  remarked.  "  They  tell  me  that 
the  Foreign  Office  ate  humble  pie  with  the  Kaiser  for 
that  affair  shockingly.  They  not  only  removed  him 
from  the  Embassy,  but  they  are  going  to  give  him 
nothing  in  Europe.  I  heard  for  a  fact  that  the 
Kaiser  requested  that  he  should  not  be  attached  to 
any  Court  with  which  Germany  had  diplomatic  re- 
lations." 

Anna  nodded.  "  I  believe  that  it  is  true,"  she  ad- 
mitted, "  but  I  am  not  sure  that  he  realises  it  him- 
self. Even  if  he  does,  well,  you  know  the  type.  He 
is  English  to  the  backbone." 

"  But  there  are  Englishmen,"  the  Princess  insisted 
earnestly,  "  who  are  amenable  to  common  sense. 
There  are  Englishmen  who  are  sorrowing  over  the 
decline  of  their  own  country  and  who  would  not  be 
so  greatly  distressed  if  she  were  punished  a  little." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  179 

"  I  am  afraid  Mr.  Norgate  is  not  like  that,"  Anna 
observed  drily.  *'  However,  one  cannot  be  sure. 
Bother!  I  thought  people  were  very  kind  to  leave 
us  so  long  in  peace.  Dear  Prince,  how  clever  of  you 
to  find  out  our  retreat ! " 

The  Ambassador  stood  bareheaded  before  them. 

*'  Dear  ladies,"  he  declared,  "  you  are  the  lode-    i 
stcmesrwhich  would  draw  one  even  through  these  gos- 
samer walls  of  lace  and  chiffons,  of  draperies  as  light 
as  the  sunshine  and  perfumes  as  sweet  as  Heine's 
poetry." 

"  Very  pretty,"  Anna  laughed,  "  but  what  you 
really  mean  is  that  you  were  looking  for  two  of 
your  very  useful  slaves  and  have  found  them." 

The  Ambassador  glanced  around.  Their  isola- 
tion was  complete. 

"  Ah !  well,"  he  murmured,  "  it  is  a  wonderful  thing 
to  be  so  charmingly  aided  towards  such  a  wonder- 
ful end." 

"  And  to  have  such  complete  trust  in  one's 
friends,"  Anna  remarked,  looking  him  steadfastly  in 
the  face. 

The  Prince  did  not  flinch.  His  smile  was  perfectly 
courteous  and  acknowledging. 

*'  That  is  my  happiness,"  he  admitted.  "  I  will 
tell  you  the  reason  which  directed  my  footsteps  this 
way,"  he  added,  drawing  a  small  betting  book  from 
his  pocket.  "  You  must  back  Prince  Charlie  for 
the  next  race.  I  will,  if  you  choose,  take  your 
commissions.  I  have  a  man  waiting  at  the 
rails." 

"  Twenty  pounds  for  me,  please,"  the  Princess  de- 


i8o  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

clared.  "  I  have  the  horse  marked  on  my  card,  but 
I  had  forgotten  for  the  moment." 

"  And  the  same  for  me,"  Anna  begged.  "  But  did 
you  really  come  only  to  bring  us  this  valuable  tip, 
Prince.?  " 

The  Ambassador  stooped  down. 

"  There  is  a  dispatch  on  its  way  to  me,"  he  said 
softly,  "  which  I  believe  concerns  you.  It  might  be 
necessary  for  you  to  take  a  short  journey  within  the 
next  few  days." 

"  Not  back  to  Berlin  ?  "  Anna  exclaimed. 

Their  solitude  had  been  invaded  by  now,  and  the 
Princess  was  talking  to  two  or  three  men  who  were 
grouped  about  her  chair.  The  Ambassador  stooped 
a  little  lower. 

"  To  Rome,"  he  whispered.   ^' 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Back  from  the  dusty  roads,  the  heat  and  noise  of 
the  long  day,  Anna  was  resting  on  the  couch  in  her 
sitting-room.  A  bowl  of  roses  and  a  note  which  she 
had  read  three  or  four  times  stood  on  a  little  table 
by  her  side.  One  of  the  blossoms  she  had  fastened 
into  the  bosom  of  her  loose  gown.  The  blinds  were 
drawn,  the  sounds  of  the  traffic  outside  were  muf- 
fled and  distant.  Her  bath  had  been  just  the  right 
temperature,  her  maid's  attention  was  skilful  and 
delicate  as  ever.  She  was  conscious  of  the  drowsy 
sweet  perfume  of  the  flowers,  the  pleasant  sense  of 
powdered  cleanliness.  Everything  should  have  con- 
duced to  rest,  but  she  lay  there  with  her  eyes  wide- 
open.  There  was  so  much  to  think  about,  so  much 
that  was  new  finding  its  way  into  her  stormy  young 
life. 

"Madame]" 

Anna  turned  her  head.  Her  maid  had  entered 
noiselessly  from  the  inner  room  and  was  standing  by 
her  side. 

"  Madame  does  not  sleep?  There  is  a  person  out- 
side who  waits  for  an  interview.  I  have  denied  him, 
as  all  others.     He  gave  me  this." 

Anna  almost  snatched  the  piece  of  paper  from  her 
maid's  fingers.  She  glanced  at  the  name,  and  the 
disappointment  which  shone  in  her  eyes  was  very  ap- 


i82  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

parent.     It  was  succeeded  by  an  impulse  of  surprise. 

"  You  can  show  him  in,"  she  directed. 

Selingman  appeared  a  few  moments  later  —  Seling^ 
man,  cool,  rosy,  and  confident,  on  the  way  to  his  be- 
loved bridge  club.  He  took  the  hand  which  Anna, 
without  moving,  held  out  to  him,  and  raised  it  gal- 
lantly to  his  lips. 

"  I  thought  it  was  understood,  my  crockery 
friend,"  she  murmured,  "  that  in  London  we  did  not 
interchange  visits." 

"  Most  true,  gracious  lady,"  he  admitted,  "  but 
there  are  circumstances  which  can  alter  the  most  im7 
movable  decisions.  At  this  moment  we  are  con- 
fronted with  one.  I  come  to  discuss  with  you  the 
young  Englishman,  Francis  Norgate." 

She  turned  her  head  a  little.  Her  eyes  were  full  of 
enquiry. 

"  To  discuss  him  with  me.''  " 

Selingman's  eyes  as  though  by  accident  fell  upon 
the  roses  and  the  note. 

"  Ah,  well,"  she  murmured,  "  go  on." 

*'  It  is  wonderful,"  Selingman  proceeded,  "  to  be 
able  to  tell  the  truth.  I  speak  to  you  as  one  com- 
rade to  another.  This  young  man  was  your  com- 
panion at  the  Cafe  de  Berlin.  For  the  indiscretion 
of  behaving  like  a  bull-headed  but  courageous  young 
Englishman,  he  is  practically  dismissed  from  the 
Service.  He  comes  back  smarting  with  the  injustice 
of  it.  Chance  brings  him  in  my  way.  I  proceed  to 
do  my  best  to  make  use  of  this  opportunity." 

"  So  like  you,  dear  Herr  Selingman ! "  Anna  mur- 
mured. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  183 

Selingman  beamed. 

"  Ever  gracious,  dear  lady.  Well,  to  continue, 
then.  Here  I  find  a  young  Englishman  of  exactly 
the  order  and  position  likely  to  be  useful  to  us.  I 
approach  him  frankly.  He  has  been  humiliated  by 
the  country  he  was  willing  to  serve.  I  talk  to  him 
of  that  country.  '  You  are  English,  of  course,'  I 
remind  him,  '  but  what  manner  of  an  England  is  it 
to-day  which  claims  you?  '  It  is  a  very  telling  ar- 
gument, this.  Upon  the  classes  of  this  country, 
democracy  has  laid  a  throttling  hand.  There  is  a 
spirit  of  discontent,  they  say,  among  the  working- 
classes,  the  discontent  which  breeds  socialism. 
There  is  a  worse  spirit  of  discontent  among  the  up- 
per classes  here,  and  it  is  the  discontent  which  breeds 
so-called  traitors." 

"  I  can  imagine  all  the  rest,"  Anna  interposed 
coolly.     "  How  far  have  you  succeeded.?  " 

"  The  young  man,"  Selingman  told  her,  "  has  ac- 
cepted my  proposals.  He  has  drawn  three  months' 
salary  in  advance.  He  furnished  me  yesterday  with 
details  of  a  private  conversation  with  a  well-known 
Cabinet  Minister." 

Anna  turned  her  head.  "  So  soon  I "  she  mur- 
mured. 

"  So  soon,"  Selingman  repeated.  "  And  now, 
gracious  lady,  here  comes  my  visit  to  you.  We  have 
a  recruit,  invaluable  if  he  is  indeed  a  recruit  at  heart, 
dangerous  if  he  has  the  brains  and  wit  to  choose  to 
make  himself  so.  I,  on  my  way  through  life,  judge 
men  and  women,  and  I  judge  them  —  well,  with  few 
exceptions,  unerringly,  but  at  the  back  of  my  brain 


i84  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

there  lingers  something  of  mistrust  of  this  young 
man.  I  have  seen  others  in  his  position  accept  simi- 
lar proposals.  I  have  seen  the  struggles  of  shame, 
the  doubts,  the  assertion  of  some  part  of  a  man's 
lower  nature  reconciling  him  in  the  end  to  accepting 
the  pay  of  a  foreign  country.  I  have  seen  none  of 
these  things  in  this  young  man  —  simply  a  cold  and 
deliberate  acceptance  of  my  proposals.  He  con- 
forms to  no  type.  He  sets  up  before  me  a  problem 
which  I  myself  have  failed  wholly  to  solve.  I  come 
to  you,  dear  lady,  for  your  aid." 

"  I  am  to  spy  upon  the  spy,"  she  remarked.  _ 

*'  -^^  is  ftn  e^sy  task,"  Selingman  declared.     "  This 
young  man  is  your  slave.     Whatever  your  daily  busi- 
ness may  be  here,  some  part  of  your  time,  I  imagine, 
will  be  spent  in  his  company.     Let  me  know  what 
manner  of  man  he  is.     Is   this  innate   corruptness 
which  brings  him  so  easily  to  the  bait,  or  is  it  the 
stinging  smart  of  injustice  from  which  he  may  well 
I  be  suffering?     Or,  failing  these,  has  he  dared  to  set 
Ijhis  wits  against  mine,  to  play  the  double  traitor.?* 
'  If  even  a  suspicion  of  this  should  come  to  you,  there 
must  be  an  end  of  Mr.  Francis  Norgate." 

Anna  toyed  for  a  moment  with  the  rose  at  her 
bosom.  Her  eyes  were  looking  out  of  the  room. 
Once  again  she  was  conscious  of  a  curious  slacken- 
ing of  purpose,  a  confusion  of  issues  which  had  once 
seemed  to  her  so  clear. 

"  Very  well,"  she  promised.  "  I  will  send  you  a 
report  in  the  course  of  a  few  days." 

"  I  should  not,"  Sehngman  continued,  rising, 
*'  venture  to  trouble  you.  Baroness,  as  I  know  the 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  185 

sphere  of  your  activities  is  far  removed  from  mine, 
but  chance  has  put  you  in  the  position  of  being  able 
to  ascertain  definitely  the  things  which  I  desire  to 
know.  For  our  common  sake  you  will,  I  am  sure, 
seek  to  discover  the  truth." 

"  So  far  as  I  can,  certainly,"  Anna  replied,  "  but 
I  must  admit  that  I,  like  you,  find  Mr.  Norgate  a 
little  incomprehensible." 

"  There  are  men,"  Selingman  declared,  "  there 
have  been  many  of  the  strongest  men  in  history,  im- 
penetrable to  the  world,  who  have  yielded  their  se- 
crets readily  to  a  woman's  influence.  -  The  diploma- 
tists in  life  who  have  failed  have  been  those  who  have 
underrated  the  powers  possessed  by  your  wonderful 
sex." 

"  Among  whom,"  Anna  remarked,  "  no  one  will 
ever  number  Herr  Selingman." 

"  Dear  Baroness,"  Selingman  concluded,  as  the 
maid  whom  Anna  had  summoned  stood  ready  to  show 
him  out,  "  it  is  because  in  my  life  I  have  been  brought 
into  contact  with  so  many  charming  examples  of 
your  power." 

Once  more  silence  and  solitude.  Anna  moved  rest- 
lessly about  on  her  couch.  Her  eyes  were  a  little 
hot.  That  future  into  which  she  looked  seemed  to 
become  more  than  ever  a  tangled  web.  At  half-past 
seven  her  maid  reappeared. 

"  Madame  will  dress  for  dinner?  " 

Anna  swung  herself  to  her  feet.  She  glanced  at 
the  clock. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  she  assented. 


V) 


i86  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  have  three  gowns  laid  out,"  the  maid  continued 
respectfully.  "  Madame  would  look  wonderful  in  the 
light  green." 

"  Anything,"  Anna  yawned. 

The  telephone  bell  tinkled.  Anna  took  down  the 
receiver  herself. 

"  Yes  ?  "  she  asked. 

Her  manner  suddenly  changed.  It  was  a  familiar 
voice  speaking.  Her  maid,  who  stood  in  the  back- 
ground, watched  and  wondered. 

'*  It  is  you.  Baroness !  I  rang  up  to  see  whether 
there  was  any  chance  of  your  being  able  to  dine  with 
me.''     I  have  just  got  back  to  town." 

"  How  dared  you  go  away  without  telling  me ! " 
she  exclaimed.  "  And  how  can  I  dine  with  you  ?  Do 
you  not  realise  that  it  is  Ascot  Thursday,  and  I 
have  had  many  invitations  to  dine  to-night?  I  am 
going  to  a  very  big  dinner-party  at  Thurm 
House." 

"  Bad  luck  1 "  Norgate  replied  disconsolately. 
"  And  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  finished  about  to-night  yet,"  Anna 
continued.  "  I  suppose  you  do  not,  by  any  chance, 
want  me  to  dine  with  you  very  much.''  " 

*'  Of  course  I  do,"  was  the  prompt  answer.  "  You 
see  plenty  of  the  Princess  of  Thurm  and  nothing  of 
me,  and  there  is  always  the  chance  that  you  may  have 
to  go  abroad.     I  think  that  it  is  your  duty  — " 

"  As  a  matter  of  duty,"  Anna  interrupted,  "  I 
ought  to  dine  at  Thurm  House.  As  a  matter  of 
pleasure,  I  shall  dine  with  you.  You  will  very  likely 
not  enjoy  yourself.     I  am  going  to  be  very  cross  in- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  187 

deed.  You  have  neglected  me  shamefully.  It  is  only 
these  wonderful  roses  which  have  saved  you." 

"  So  long  as  I  am  saved,"  he  murmured,  "  tell  me, 
please,  where  you  would  like  to  dine  ?  " 

"  Any  place  on  earth,"  she  replied.  "  You  may 
call  for  me  here  at  half-past  eight.  I  shall  wear  a 
hat  and  I  would  like  to  go  somewhere  where  our  peo- 
ple do  not  go." 

Anna  set  down  the  telephone.  The  listlessness  had 
gone  from  her  manner.  She  glanced  at  the  clock  and 
ran  lightly  into  the  other  room. 

"  Put  all  that  splendour  away,"  she  ordered  her 
maid  cheerfully.  "  To-night  we  shall  dazzle  no  one. 
Something  perfectly  quiet  and  a  hat,  please.  I  dine 
in  a  restaurant.  And  ring  the  bell,  Marie,  for  two 
aperitifs  —  not  that  I  need  one.  I  am  hungry, 
Marie.  I  am  looking  forward  to  my  dinner  already. 
I  think  something  dead  black.  I  am  looking  well  to- 
night.    I  can  afford  to  wear  black." 

Marie  beamed. 

"  Madame  has  recovered  her  spirits,"  she  remarked 
demurely. 

Anna  was  suddenly  silent.  Her  light-heartedness 
was  a  revelation.     She  turned  to  her  maid. 

"  Marie,"  she  directed,  "  you  will  telephone  to 
Thurm  House.  You  will  ask  for  Lucille,  the 
Princess's  maid.  You  will  give  my  love  to  the 
Princess.  You  will  say  that  a  sudden  headache  has 
prostrated  me.  It  will  be  enough.  You  need  say 
no  more.  To-morrow  I  lunch  with  the  Princess,  and 
she  will  understand."     ^ 


CHAPTER  XXV 

"  Confess,"  Anna  exclaimed,  as  she  leaned  back  in 
her  chair,  "  that  my  idea  was  excellent !  Your  lit- 
tle restaurant  was  in  its  way  perfection,  but  the  heat 
—  does  one  feel  it  anywhere,  I  wonder,  as  one  does  in 
London?  " 

"  Here,  at  any  rate,  we  have  air,"  Norgate  re- 
marked appreciatively. 

"  We  are  far  removed,"  she  went  on,  "  from  the 
clamour  of  diners,  that  babel  of  voices,  the  smell  of 
cooking,  the  meretricious  music.  We  look  over  the 
house-tops.  Soon,  just  behind  that  tall  building 
there,  you  will  see  the  yellow  moon." 

They  were  taking  their  coffee  in  Anna's  sitting- 
room,  seated  in  easy-chairs  drawn  up  to  the  wide- 
flung  windows.  The  topmost  boughs  of  some  tall 
elm  trees  rustled  almost  in  their  faces.  Away  before 
them  spread  the  phantasmagoria  of  a  wilderness  of 
London  roofs,  softened  and  melting  into  the  dim 
blue  obscurity  of  the  falling  twilight.  Lights  were 
flashing  out  everywhere,  and  above  them  shone  the 
stars.     Norgate  drew  a  long  breath  of  content. 

"  It  is  wonderful,  this,"  he  murmured. 

"  We  are  at  least  alone,"  Anna  said,  "  and  I  can 
talk  to  you.  I  want  to  talk  to  you.  Should  you  be 
yery  much  flattered,  I  wonder,  if  I  were  to  say  that 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  189 

I  have  been  thinking  of  little  else  for  the  last  three 
or  four  days  than  how  to  approach  you,  how  to  say 
something  to  you  without  any  fear  of  being  misun- 
derstood, how  to  convince  you  of  my  own  sincerity  ?  " 

*'  If  I  am  not  flattered,"  he  answered,  looking  at 
her  keenly,  "  I  am  at  least  content.     Please  go  on." 

"  You  are  one  of  those,  I  believe,"  she  continued 
earnestly,  "  who  realise  that  somewhere  not  far  re- 
moved from  the  splendour  of  these  summer  days,  a 
storm  is  gathering.  I  am  one  of  those  who  know. 
England  has  but  a  few  more  weeks  of  this  self-confi- 
dent, self-esteeming  security.  Very  soon  the  shock 
will  come.  Oh!  you  sit  there,  my  friend,  and  you 
are  very  monosyllabic,  but  that  is  because  you  do  not 
wholly  trust  me." 

He  swung  suddenly  round  upon  her  and  there  was 
an  unaccustomed  fire  in  his  eyes. 

"  May  it  not  be  for  some  other  reason  ?  "  he  asked 
quickly. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  Her  own  face 
seemed  paler  than  ever  in  the  strange  half  light,  but 
her  eyes  were  wonderful.  He  told  himself  with  pas- 
sionate insistence  that  they  were  the  eyes  of  a  truth- 
ful woman. 

"  Tell  me,"  she  begged,  "  what  reason  ?  " 

He  leaned  towards  her. 

*'  It  is  so  hopeless,"  he  said.  "  I  am  just  a  broken 
diplomat  whose  career  is  ended  almost  before  it  is 
begun,  and  you  —  well,  you  have  everything  at  your 
feet.     It  is  foolish  of  me,  isn't  it,  but  I  love  you." 

He  took  her  hand,  and  she  did  not  withdraw  it. 

"  If  it  is   foolish,"   she  murmured,   "  then  I   am 


igo  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

foolish,  too.  Perhaps  you  can  guess  now  why  I 
came  to  London." 

He  drew  her  into  his  arms.  She  made  no  resist- 
ance. Her  lips,  even,  were  seeking  his.  It  seemed 
to  him  in  those  breathless  moments  that  a  greater 
thing  than  even  the  destiny  of  nations  was  bom  into 
the  world.  There  was  a  new  vigour  in  his  pulses  as 
she  gently  pushed  him  back,  a  new  splendour  in  life. 

"  Dear,"  she  exclaimed,  "  of  course  we  are  both 
very  foolish,  and  yet,  I  do  not  know.  I  have  been 
wondering  why  this  has  not  come  to  me  long  ago, 
and  now  that  it  has  come  I  am  happy." 

"  You  care  —  you  really  care  ?  "  he  insisted  pas- 
sionately. 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  she  told  him,  quietly  enough 
and  yet  very  convincingly.  "  If  I  did  not  care  I 
should  not  be  here.  If  I  did  not  care,  I  should  not 
be  going  to  say  the  things  to  you  which  I  am  going 
to  say  now.  Sit  back  in  your  chair,  please,  hold 
my  hand  still,  smoke  if  you  will,  but  listen." 

He  obeyed.  A  deeper  seriousness  crept  into  her 
tone,  but  her  face  was  still  soft  and  wonderful.  The 
new  things  were  lingering  there. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  first,"  she  said,  "  what  I  think 
you  already  know.  The  moment  for  which  Germany 
has  toiled  so  long,  from  which  she  has  never  faltered, 
is  very  close  at  hand.  With  all  her  marvellous  re- 
sources and  that  amazing  war  equipment  of  which 
you  in  this  country  know  little,  she  will  soon  throw 
I  down  the  gage  to  England.  You  are  an  English- 
man, Francis.  You  are  not  going  to  forget  it,  are 
you?  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  191 

**  Forget  it  ?  "  he  repeated. 

"  I  know,"  she  continued  slowly,  "  that  Selingman 
has  made  advances  to  you.  I  know  that  he  has  a 
devilish  gift  for  enrolling  on  his  list  men  of  honour 
ajid  conscience.  He  has  the  knack  of  subtle  argu- 
ment, of  twisting  facts  and  preying  upon  human 
weaknesses.  You  have  been  shockingly  treated  by 
your  Foreign  Office.  You  yourself  are  entirely  out 
of  sympathy  with  your  Government.  You  know  very 
well  that  England,  as  she  is,  is  a  country  which  has 
lost  her  ideals,  a  country  in  which  many  of  her  sons 
might  indeed,  without  much  reproach,  lose  their 
pride.  Selingman  knows  this.  He  knows  how  to 
work  upon  these  facts.  He  might  very  easily  con- 
vince you  that  the  truest  service  you  could  render 
your  country  was  to  assist  her  in  passing  through  a 
temporary  tribulation." 

He  looked  at  her  almost  in  surprise. 

"  You  seem  to  know  the  man's  methods,"  he  ob- 
served. 

"  I  do,"  she  answered,  "  and  I  detest  them.  Now, 
Francis,  please  tell  me  the  truth.  Is  your  name,  too, 
upon  that  long  roll  of  those  who  are  pledged  to  as- 
sist his  country?  " 

"  It  is,"  he  admitted. 

She  drew  a  little  away. 

**You  admit  it.''     You  have  already  consented?" 

*'  I  have  drawn  a  quarter's  salary,"  Norgate  con- 
fessed. "  I  have  entered  Selingman's  corps  of  the 
German  Secret  Service." 

"  You  mean  that  you  are  a  traitor ! "  she  ex- 
claimed. 


192  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

*'  A  traitor  to  the  false  England  of  to-day,"  Nor- 
gate  replied,  "  a  friend,  I  hope,  of  the  real  England." 

She  sat  quite  still  for  some  moments. 

"  Somehow  or  other,"  she  said,  "  I  scarcely  fan- 
cied that  you  would  give  in  so  easily." 

"  You  seem  disappointed,"  he  remarked,  "  yet, 
after  all,  am  I  not  on  your  side?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  she  answered,  without  enthusiasm. 

There  was  another  and  a  more  prolonged  silence. 
Norgate  rose  at  last  to  his  feet.  He  walked  rest- 
lessly to  the  end  of  the  room  and  back  again.  A 
dark  mass  of  clouds  had  rolled  up ;  the  air  seemed 
almost  sulphurous  with  the  presage  of  a  coming 
storm.  They  looked  out  into  the  gathering  dark- 
ness. 

"  I  don't  understand,"  he  said.  "  You  are  Aus- 
trian ;  that  is  the  same  as  German.  I  tell  you  that 
I  have  come  over  on  your  side.  You  seem  disap- 
pointed." 

"  Perhaps  I  am,"  she  admitted,  standing  up,  too, 
and  linking  her  arm  through  his.  "  You  see,  my 
mother  was  English,  and  they  say  that  I  am  entirely 
like  her.  I  was  brought  up  here  in  the  English  coun- 
try. Sometimes  my  life  at  Vienna  and  Berlin  seems 
almost  like  a  dream  to  me,  something  unreal,  as 
though  I  were  playing  at  being  some  other  woman. 
When  I  am  back  here,  I  feel  as  though  I  had  come 
home.  Do  you  know  really  that  nothing  would  make 
me  happier  than  to  hear  or  think  nothing  about  duty, 
to  just  know  that  I  had  come  back  to  England  to 
stay,  and  that  you  were  English,  and  that  we  were 
going  to  live  just  the  sort  of  life  I  pictured  to  my- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  193 

self  that  two  people  could  live  so  happily  over  here, 
without  too  much  ambition,  without  intrigue,  simply 
and  honestly.  I  am  a  little  weary  of  cities  and 
courts,  Francis.  To-night  more  than  ever  England 
seems  to  appeal  to  me,  to  remind  me  that  I  am  one 
of  her  daughters." 

"  Are  you  trying  me,  Anna  ?  "  he  asked  hoarsely. 

*'  Trying  you  ?  Of  course  not !  "  she  answered. 
"  I  am  speaking  to  you  just  simply  and  naturally, 
because  you  are  the  one  person  in  the  world  to  whom 
I  may  speak  like  that." 

"  Then  let's  drop  it,  both  of  us ! "  he  exclaimed, 
holding  her  arm  tightly  to  his.  "  Courts  and  cities 
can  do  without  you,  and  Selingman  can  do  without 
me.  We'll  take  a  cottage  somewhere  and  live 
through  these  evil  days." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  You  and  I  are  not  like  that,  Francis,"  she  de- 
clared. "  When  the  storm  breaks,  we  mustn't  be 
found  hiding  in  our  holes.  You  know  that  quite 
well.  It  is  for  us  to  decide  what  part  we  may  play. 
You  have  chosen.  So,  in  a  measure,  have  I.  To- 
morrow I  am  going  on  a  secret  mission  to  Italy." 

"  Anna !  "  he  cried  in  dismay. 

"  Alas,  yes  !  "  she  repeated.  "  We  may  not  even 
meet  again,  Francis,  till  the  map  of  Europe  has  been 
rewritten  with  the  blood  of  many  of  our  friends  and 
millions  of  our  country-people.  But  I  shall  think 
of  you,  and  the  kiss  you  will  give  me  now  shall  be  the 
last  upon  my  lips." 

"  You  can  go  away  ?  "  he  demanded.  "  You  can 
leave  me  like  this.''  " 


194  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  must,"  she  answered  simply.  "  I  have  work 
before  me.  Good-by,  Francis !  Somehow  I  knew 
what  was  coming.  I  believe  that  I  am  glad,  dear,  but 
I  must  think  about  it,  and  so  must  you." 

Norgate  left  the  hotel  and  walked  out  amid  the 
first  mutterings  of  the  storm.  He  found  a  taxi  and 
drove  to  his  rooms.  For  an  hour  he  sat  before  his 
window,  watching  the  lightning  play,  fighting  the 
thoughts  which  beat  upon  his  brain,  fighting  all  the 
time  a  losing  battle.  At  midnight  the  storm  had 
ceased.  He  walked  back  through  the  rain-streaming 
streets.  The  air  was  filled  with  sweet  and  pungent 
perfumes.  The  heaviness  had  passed  from  the  at- 
mosphere. His  own  heart  was  lighter;  he  walked 
swiftly.  Outside  her  hotel  he  paused  and  looked  up 
at  the  window.  There  was  a  light  still  burning  in 
her  room.  He  even  fancied  that  he  could  see  the 
outline  of  her  figure  leaning  back  in  the  easy-chair 
which  he  had  wheeled  up  close  to  the  casement.  He 
entered  the  hotel,  stepped  into  the  lift,  ascended  to 
her  floor,  and  made  his  way  with  tingling  pulses  and 
beating  heart  along  the  corridor.  He  knocked  softly 
at  her  door.  There  was  a  little  hesitation,  then  he 
heard  her  voice  on  the  other  side. 

"Who  is  that.?" 

"  It  is  I  —  Francis,"  he  answered  softly.  "  Let 
me  in." 

There  was  a  little  exclamation.  She  opened  the 
door,  holding  up  her  finger. 

"  Quietly,"  she  whispered.  "  What  is  it,  Francis  ? 
Why  have  you  come  back?  What  has  happened  to 
you?  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  195 

He  drew  her  into  the  room.  She  herself  looked 
weary,  and  there  were  lines  under  her  eyes.  It 
seemed,  even,  as  though  she  might  have  been  weeping. 
But  it  was  a  new  Norgate  who  spoke.  His  words 
rang  out  with  a  fierce  vigour,  his  eyes  seemed  on  fire. 

"  Anna,"  he  cried,  "  I  can't  fence  with  you.  I 
can't  lie  to  you.  I  can't  deceive  you.  I've  tried 
these  things,  and  I  went  away  choking.  I  had  to 
come  back.  You  shall  know  the  truth,  even  though 
you  betray  me.  I  am  no  man  of  Selingman's.  I 
have  taken  his  paltry  money  —  it  went  last  night  to 
a  hospital.  I  am  for  England  —  God  knows  it!  — 
the  England  of  any  government,  England,  however 
misguided  or  mistaken.  I  want  to  do  the  work  for 
her  that's  easiest  and  that  comes  to  me.  I  am  on 
Selingman's  roll.  What  do  you  think  he'll  get  from 
me?  Nothing  that  isn't  false,  no  information  that 
won't  mislead  him,  no  facts  save  those  I  shall  distort 
until  they  may  seem  so  near  the  truth  that  he  will 
build  and  count  upon  them.  Every  minute  of  my 
time  wiU  be  spent  to  foil  his  schemes.  They  don't 
believe  me  in  Whitehall,  or  Selingman  would  be  at 
Bow  Street  to-morrow  morning.  That's  why  I  am 
going  my  own  way.  Tell  him,  if  you  will.  There  is 
only  one  thing  strong  enough  to  bring  me  here,  to 
risk  everything,  and  that's  my  love  for  you." 

She  was  in  his  arms,  sobbing  and  crying,  and  yet 
laughing.  She  clutched  at  him,  drew  down  his  face 
and  covered  his  lips  with  kisses. 

"  Oh !  I  am  so  thankful,"  she  cried,  "  so  thankful ! 
Francis,  I  ached  —  my  heart  ached  to  have  you  sit 
there  and  talk  as  you  did.     Now  I  know  that  you 


196  THE  DOUBLE  TRAIT#R 

are  the  man  I  thought  you  were.  Francis,  we  will 
work  together." 

"  You  mean  it  ?  " 

"  I  do,  England  was  my  mother's  country,  Eng- 
land shall  be  my  husband's  country.  I  will  tell  you 
many  things  that  should  help.  From  now  my  work 
shall  be  for  you.  If  they  find  me  out,  well,  I  will 
pay  the  price.  You  shall  run  your  risk,  Francis, 
for  your  country,  and  I  must  take  mine ;  but  at  least 
we'll  keep  our  honour  and  our  conscience  and  our 
love.  Oh,  this  is  a  better  parting,  dear !  This  is  a. 
better  good  night !  " 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

Mrs.  Benedek  was  the  first  to  notice  the  transfor- 
mation which  had  certainly  taken  place  in  Norgate's 
appearance.  She  came  and  sat  by  his  side  upon  the 
cushioned  fender. 

"  What  a  metamorphosis ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  Why,  you  look  as  though  Providence  had  been 
showering  countless  benefits  upon  you." 

There  were  several  people  lounging  around,  and 
Mrs.  Benedek's  remark  certainly  had  point. 

*'  You  look  like  Monty,  when  he's  had  a  winning 
week,"  one  of  them  observed. 

"  It  is  something  more  than  gross  lucre,"  a  young 
man  declared,  who  had  just  strolled  up.  "  I  believe 
that  it  is  a  good  fat  appointment.  Rome,  perhaps, 
where  every  one  of  you  fellows  wants  to  get  to, 
nowadays." 

"  Or  perhaps,"  the  Prince  intervened,  with  a  little 
bow,  "  Mrs.  Benedek  has  promised  to  dine  with  you.? 
She  is  generally  responsible  for  the  gloom  or  happi- 
ness of  us  poor  males  in  this  room." 

Norgate  smiled. 

"  None  of  these  wonderful  things  have  happened 
—  and  yet,  something  perhaps  more  wonderful,"  he 
announced.     "  I  am  engaged  to  be  married." 

There  was  a  mingled  chorus  of  exclamations  and 


198  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

congratulations.  Selingman,  who  had  been  standing 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  group,  drew  a  little  nearer. 
His  face  wore  a  somewhat  puzzled  expression.  / 

"And  the  lady?"  he  enquired.  "May  we  not 
know  the  lady's  name.''     That  is  surely  important.?  " 

"  It  is  the  Baroness  von  Haase,"  Norgate  replied. 
*'  You  probably  know  her  by  name  and  repute,  at 
least,  Mr.  Selingman.  She  is  an  Austrian,  but  she 
is  often  at  Berlin." 

Selingman  stretched  out  his  great  hand.  For 
some  reason  or  other,  the  announcement  seemed  to 
have  given  him  real  pleasure. 

'*  Know  her.?  My  dear  young  friend,  while  I  may 
not  claim  the  privilege  of  intimate  friendship  with 
her,  the  Baroness  is  a  young  lady  of  the  greatest 
distinction  and  repute  in  Berlin.  I  congratulate 
you.  I  congratulate  you  most  heartily.  The  anger 
of  our  young  princeling  is  no  longer  to  be  wondered 
at.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  thoroughly  interesting 
this  news  is  to  me." 

"  You  are  very  good  indeed,  I  am  sure,  all  of  you," 
Norgate  declared,  answering  the  general  murmur  of 
kindly  words.  "  The  Baroness  doesn't  play  bridge, 
but  I'd  like  to  bring  her  in  one  afternoon,  if  I 
may." 

"  I  have  had  the  honour  of  meeting  the  Baroness 
von  Haase  several  times,"  Prince  Lenemaur  said. 
"  It  will  give  me  the  utmost  pleasure  to  renew  my  ac- 
quaintance with  her.  These  alliances  are  most  pleas- 
ing. Since  I  have  taken  up  my  residence  in  this 
country,  I  regard  them  with  the  utmost  favour 
They  do  much  to  cement  the  good  feeling  between 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  199 

Germany,  Austria,  and  England,  which  is  so  de- 
sirable." 

"  English  people,"  Mrs.  Benedek  remarked,  "  will 
at  least  have  the  opportunity  of  judging  Austrian 
women  from  the  proper  standpoint.  Anna  is  one  of 
the  most  accomplished  and  beautiful  women  in  either 
Vienna  or  Berlin.  I  hope  so  much  that  she  will  not 
have  forgotten  me  altogether." 

They  all  drifted  presently  back  to  the  bridge 
tables.  Norgate,  however,  excused  himself.  He  had 
some  letters  to  write,  he  declared,  and  presently  he 
withdrew  to  the  little  drawing-room.  In  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  as  he  had  expected,  the  door 
opened,  and  Selingman  entered.  He  crossed  the 
room  at  once  to  where  Norgate  was  writing  and  laid 
his  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  Young  man,"  he  said,  "  I  wish  to  talk  with  you. 
Bring  your  chair  around.  Sit  there  so  that  the  light 
falls  upon  your  face.  So !  Now  let  me  see. 
Where  does  that  door  lead  to  ?  " 

"  Into  the  secretary's  room,  but  it  is  locked," 
Norgate  told  him. 

"  So !  And  the  outer  one  I  myself  have  carefully 
closed.  We  talk  here,  then,  in  private.  This  is 
great  news  which  you  have  brought  this  afternoon." 

"  It  is  naturally  of  some  interest  to  me,"  Norgate 
assented,  "  but  I  scarcely  see  — " 

"  It  is  of  immense  interest,  also,  to  me,"  Seling- 
man interrupted.  "  It  may  be  that  you  do  not  know 
this  at  present.  It  may  be  that  I  anticipate,  but  if 
so,  no  matter.  Between  3'ou  and  your  fiancee  there 
will  naturally  be  no  secrets.     You  are  perhaps  al- 


200  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

ready  aware  that  she  holds  a  high  position  amongst 
those  who  are  working  for  the  power  and  develop- 
ment and  expansion  of  our  great  empire?  " 

"  I  have  gathered  something  of  the  sort,"  Norgate 
admitted.  "  I  know,  of  course,  that  she  is  a  per- 
sonal favourite  of  the  Emperor's,  and  persona  grata 
at  the  Court  of  Berlin." 

"  You  have  no  scruple,  then,  about  marrying  a 
woman  who  belongs  to  a  certain  clique,  a  certain 
school  of  diplomacy  which  you  might,  from  a  super- 
ficial point  of  view,  consider  inimical  to  your  coun- 
try's interests  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  scruple  at  all  in  marrying  the  Baroness 
von  Haase,"  Norgate  replied  firmly.  "  As  for  the 
rest,  you  and  I  have  discussed  fully  the  matter  of 
the  political  relations  between  our  countries.  I  have 
shown  you  practically  have  I  not,  what  my  own 
views  are?  " 

"  That  is  true,  my  young  friend,"  Selingman  con- 
fessed. "  We  have  spoken  together,  man  to  man, 
heart  to  heart.  I  have  tried  to  show  you  that  even 
though  we  should  stand  with  sword  outstretched 
across  the  seas,  yet  in  the  hearts  of  our  people  there 
dwells  a  real  affection,  real  good-will  towards  your 
country.  I  think  that  I  have  convinced  you.  I 
have  come,  indeed,  to  have  a  certain  amount  of  con- 
fidence in  you.  That  I  have  already  proved.  But 
your  news  to-day  alters  much.  There  are  grades  of 
that  society  which  you  have  joined,  rings  within 
rings,  as  you  may  well  imagine.  I  see  the  prospect 
before  me  now  of  making  much  greater  and  more 
valuable  use  of  you.     It  was  your  brain,  and  a  cer- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  201 

tain  impatience  with  the  political  conduct  of  your 
country,  which  brought  you  over  to  our  side.  Why 
should  not  that  become  an  alliance  —  an  absolute 
alliance?  Your  interests  are  drawn  into  ours.  You 
have  now  a  real  and  great  reason  for  throwing  in 
your  lot  with  us.  Let  me  look  at  you.  Let  me 
think  whether  I  may  not  venture  upon  a  great  gam- 
ble." 

Norgate  did  not  flinch.  He  appeared  simply  a 
little  puzzled.  Selingman's  blue,  steel-like  eyes 
seemed  striving  to  reach  the  back  of  his  brain. 

"  All  the  things  that  we  accomplish  in  my  coun- 
try," the  latter  continued,  "  we  do  by  method  and 
order.  We  do  them  scientifically.  We  reach  out 
into  the  future.  So  far  as  we  can,  we  foresee  every- 
thing. We  leave  little  to  chance.  Yet  there  are 
times  when  one  cannot  deal  in  certainties.  Young 
man,  the  news  which  you  have  told  us  this  afternoon 
has  brought  us  to  this  pitch.  I  am  inclined  to  gam- 
ble —  to  gamble  upon  you." 

"  Is  there  any  question  of  consulting  me  in  this .''  " 
Norgate  asked  coolly. 

Selingman  brushed  the  interruption  on  one  side. 

"  I  now  make  clear  to  you  what  I  mean,"  he  con- 
tinued. "You  have  joined  my  little  army  of  help- 
ers, those  whom  I  have  been  able  to  convince  of  the 
justice  and  reasonableness  of  Germany's  ultimate 
aim.  Now  I  want  more  from  you.  I  want  to  make 
of  you  something  different.  More  than  anything  in 
the  world,  for  the  furtherance  of  my  schemes  here, 
I  need  a  young  Englishman  of  your  position  and  with 
your  connections,  to  whom  I  can  give  my  whole  confi- 


202  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

dence,  who  will  act  for  me  with  implicit  obedience, 
without  hesitation.  Will  you  accept  that  post, 
Francis  Norgate?  " 

"  If  you  think  I  am  capable  of  it,"  Norgate  re- 
plied promptly. 

"  You  are  capable  of  it,"  Selingman  asserted. 
**  There  is  only  one  grim  possibility  to  be  risked. 
Are  you  entirely  trustworthy?  Would  you  flinch  at 
the  danger  moment?  Before  this  afternoon  I  hesi- 
tated. It  is  your  alliance  with  the  Baroness  which 
gives  me  that  last  drop  of  confidence  which  was 
necessary." 

"I  am  ready  to  do  your  work,"  Norgate  said. 
**  I  can  say  no  more.  My  own  country  has  no  use 
for  me.  My  own  country  seems  to  have  no  use  for 
any  one  at  all  just  now  who  thinks  a  little  beyond 
the  day's  eating  and  drinking  and  growing  fat." 

Selingman  nodded  his  head.  The  note  of  bitter- 
ness in  the  other's  tone  was  to  his  liking. 

"  Of  rewards,  of  benefits,  I  shall  not  now  speak," 
he  proceeded.  "  You  have  something  in  you  of  the 
spirit  of  men  who  aim  at  the  greater  things.  There 
is,  indeed,  in  your  attitude  towards  life  something 
of  the  idealism,  the  ever-stretching  heavenward  cul- 
ture of  my  own  people.  I  recognise  that  spirit  in 
you,  and  I  will  not  give  a  lower  tone  to  our  talk  this 
afternoon  by  speaking  of  money.  Yet  what  you 
wish  for  you  may  have.  When  the  time  comes,  what 
further  reward  you  may  desire,  whether  it  be  rank 
or  high  position,  you  may  have,  but  for  the  present 
let  it  be  sufiicient  that  you  are  my  man." 

He  held  out  his  hand,  and  all  the  time  his  eyes 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  203 

never  left  Norgate's.  Gone  the  florid  and  beaming 
geniality  of  the  man,  his  easy  good-humour,  his  air 
of  good-living  and  rollicking  gaiety.  There  were 
lines  in  his  forehead.  The  firm  contraction  of  his 
lips  brought  lines  even  across  his  plump  cheeks.  It 
was  the  face,  this,  of  a  strong  man  and  a  thinker. 
He  held  Norgate's  fingers,  and  Norgate  never 
flinched. 

"  So !  "  he  said  at  last,  as  he  turned  away.  "  Now 
you  are  indeed  in  the  inner  circle,  Mr.  Francis  Nor- 
gate. Good!  Listen  to  me,  then.  We  will  speak 
of  war,  the  war  that  is  to  come,  the  war  that  is  closer 
at  hand  than  even  you  might  imagine." 

"  War  with  England?  "  Norgate  exclaimed. 

Selingman  struck  his  hands  together. 

*'  No  !  "  he  declared.  "  You  may  take  it  as  a  com- 
pliment, if  you  like  —  a  national  compliment.  We 
do  not  at  the  present  moment  desire  war  with  Eng- 
land. Our  plan  of  campaign,  for  its  speedy  and 
successful  accomplishment,  demands  your  neutrality. 
The  North  Sea  must  be  free  to  us.  Our  fleet  must 
be  in  a  position  to  meet  and  destroy,  as  it  is  well  able 
to  do,  the  Russian  and  the  French  fleets.  Now  you 
know  what  has  kept  Germany  from  war  for  so  long." 

*'  You  are  ready  for  it,  then?  "  Norgate  remarked. 

*'  We  are  over-ready  for  it,"  Selingman  continued. 
*'  We  are  spoiling  for  it.  We  have  piled  up  enor- 
mous stores  of  ordnance,  ammunition,  and  all  the 
appurtenances  of  warfare.  Our  schemes  have  been 
cut  and  dried  to  the  last  detail.  Yet  time  after  time 
we  have  been  forced  to  stay  our  hand.  Need  I  tell 
you  why?     It  is  because,  in  all  those  small  diplomatic 


204  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

complications  which  have  arisen  and  from  which  war 
might  have  followed,  England  has  been  involved.  We 
want  to  choose  a  time  and  a  cause  which  will  give 
England  every  opportunity  of  standing  peacefully 
on  one  side.  That  time  is  close  at  hand.  From  all 
that  I  can  hear,  your  country  is,  at  the  present  mo- 
ment, in  danger  of  civil  war.  Your  Ministers  who 
are  most  in  favour  are  Radical  pacifists.  Your  army 
has  never  been  so  small  or  your  shipbuilding  pro- 
gramme more  curtailed.  Besides,  there  is  no  warUke 
spirit  in  your  nation ;  you  sleep  peacefully.  I  think 
that  our  time  has  come.  You  will  not  need  to  strain 
your  ears,  my  friend.  Before  many  weeks  have 
passed,  the  tocsin  will  be  sounding.  Does  that  move 
you.''     Let  me  look  at  you." 

Norgate's  face  showed  little  emotion.  Selingman 
nodded  ponderously. 

"  Surely,"  Norgate  asked,  "  Germany  will  wait  for 
some  reasonable  pretext  ?  " 

"  She  will  find  one  through  Austria,"  Selingman 
replied.  "  That  is  simple.  Mind,  though  this  may 
seem  to  you  a  war  wholly  of  aggression,  and  though 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  we  have  been  prepared 
for  years  for  a  war  of  aggression,  there  are  other 
factors  which  will  come  to  light.  Only  a  few  months 
ago,  an  entire  Russian  scheme  for  the  invasion  of 
Germany  next  spring  was  discovered  by  one  of  our 
Secret  Service  agents." 

Norgate  nodded. 

"  One  question  more,"  he  said.  "  Supposing  Ger- 
many takes  the  plunge,  and  then  England,  contrary 
to  anticipation,  desides  to  support  France.''  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  205 

Selingman's  face  darkened.  A  sudden  purpose- 
less anger  shook  his  voice. 

"  We  choose  a  time,"  he  declared,  "  when  Eng- 
land's hands  are  tied.  She  is  in  no  position  to  go  to 
war  with  any  one.  I  have  many  reports  reaching 
me  every  day.  I  have  come  to  the  firm  conclusion 
that  we  have  reached  the  hour.  England  will  not 
fight." 

"  And  what  will  happen  to  her  eventually  ?  "  Nor- 
gate  asked. 

Selingman  smiled  slowly. 

"  When  France  is  crushed,"  he  explained,  "  and 
her  northern  ports  garrisoned  by  us,  England  must 
be  taught  just  a  little  lesson,  the  lesson  of  which  you 
and  I  have  spoken,  the  lesson  which  will  be  for  her 
good.  That  is  what  we  have  planned.  That  is  how 
things  will  happen.  Hush !  There  is  some  one  com- 
ing. It  is  finished,  this.  Come  to  me  to-morrow 
morning.     There  is  work  for  you." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

Later  on  that  evening,  Norgate  walked  up  and 
down  the  platform  at  Charing-Cross  with  Anna. 
Her  arm  rested  upon  his ;  her  expression  was  ani- 
mated and  she  talked  almost  eagerly.  Norgate  car- 
ried himself  like  a  man  who  has  found  a  new  thing 
in  life.  He  was  feeling  none  of  the  depression  of  the 
last  few  days. 

"  Dear,"  Anna  begged,  "  you  won't  forget,  will 
you,  all  the  time  that  I  am  away,  that  you  must  never 
for  a  single  moment  relax  your  caution?  Selingman 
speaks  of  trust.  Well,  he  gambles,  it  is  true,  yet  he 
protects  himself  whenever  he  can.  You  will  not 
move  from  early  morning  until  you  go  to  bed  at 
night,  without  being  watched.  To  prove  what  I 
say  —  you  see  the  man  who  is  reading  an  evening 
paper  under  the  gas-lamp  there?  Yes?  He  is  one 
of  Selingman's  men.  He  is  watching  us  now.  More 
than  once  he  has  been  at  our  side.  Scraps  of  con- 
versation, or  anything  he  can  gather,  will  go  back 
to  Selingman,  and  Selingman  day  by  day  pieces 
everything  together.  Don't  let  there  be  a  single 
thing  which  he  can  lay  hold  of." 

"  I'll  lead  him  a  dance,"  Norgate  promised,  nod- 
ding a  little  grimly.  "  As  for  that,  Anna  dear,  you 
needn't  be  afraid.  If  ever  I  had  any  wits,  they'll  be 
awake  during  the  next  few  weeks." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  207 

"  When  I  come  back  from  Rome,"  Anna  went  on, 
"  I  shall  have  more  to  tell  you.  I  believe  that  I 
shall  be  able  to  tell  you  even  the  date  of  the  great 
happening.  I  wonder  what  other  commissions  he 
will  give  you.  The  one  to-night  is  simple.  Be  care- 
ful, dear.  Think  —  think  hard  before  you  make  up 
your  mind.  Remember  that  there  is  some  duplicity 
which  might  become  suddenly  obvious.  An  official 
statement  might  upset  everything.  These  English 
papers  are  so  garrulous.  You  might  find  yourself 
hard-pressed  for  an  explanation." 

"  I'll  be  careful,  dear,"  Norgate  assured  her,  as 
they  stood  at  last  before  the  door  of  her  compart- 
ment.    "  And  of  ourselves .''  " 

She  lifted  her  veil. 

"  We  have  so  little  time,"  she  murmured. 

"  But  have  you  thought  over  what  I  suggested.'' " 
he  begged. 

She  laughed  at  him  softly. 

"  It  sounds  quite  attractive,"  she  whispered. 
"  Shall  we  talk  of  it  when  I  come  back  from  Italy? 
Good-by,  dear !  Of  course,  I  do  not  really  want  to 
kiss  you,  but  our  friend  under  the  gas-lamp  is  look- 
ing —  and  you  know  our  engagement !  It  is  so  sat- 
isfactory to  dear  Mr.  Selingman.  It  is  the  one  genu- 
ine thing  about  us,  isn't  it  ?     So  good-by !  " 

The  long  train  drew  out  from  the  platform  a  few 
minutes  later.  Norgate  lingered  until  it  was  out  of 
sight.  Then  he  took  a  taxi  and  drove  to  the  House 
of  Commons.  He  sent  in  a  card  addressed  to  David 
BuUen,  Esq.,  and  waited  for  some  time.  At  last  a 
young  man  came  down  the  corridor  towards  him. 


2o8  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  am  Mr.  Bullen's  private  secretary,"  he  an- 
nounced. "  Mr.  BuUen  cannot  leave  the  House  for 
some  time.  Would  you  care  to  go  into  the  Strang- 
ers' Gallery,  or  will  you  wait  in  his  room?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  listen  to  the  debate,  if  it  is  pos- 
sible," Norgate  decided. 

A  place  was  found  for  him  with  some  difficulty. 
The  House  was  crowded.  The  debate  concerned  one 
of  the  proposed  amendments  to  the  Home  Rule  Bill, 
not  in  itself  important,  yet  interesting  to  Norgate 
on  account  of  the  bitter  feeling  which  seemed  to 
underlie  the  speeches  of  the  extreme  partisans  on 
either  side.  The  debate  led  nowhere.  There  was 
no  division,  no  master  mind  intervening,  yet  it  left 
a  certain  impression  on  Norgate's  mind.  At  a  little 
before  ten,  the  young  man  who  had  found  him  his 
place  touched  his  shoulder. 

"  Mr.  Bullen  will  see  you  now,  sir,"  he  said. 

Norgate  followed  his  conductor  through  a  maze 
of  passages  into  a  barely-furnished  but  lofty  apart- 
ment. The  personage  whom  he  had  come  to  see  was 
standing  at  the  further  end,  talking  somewhat  heat- 
edly to  one  or  two  of  his  supporters.  At  Norgate's 
entrance,  however,  he  dismissed  them  and  motioned 
his  visitor  to  a  chair.  He  was  a  tall,  powerful-look- 
ing man,  with  the  eyes  and  forehead  of  a  thinker. 
There  was  a  certain  laconic  quality  in  his  speech 
which  belied  his  nationality. 

*'  You  come  to  me,  I  understand,  Mr.  Norgate," 
he  began,  "  on  behalf  of  some  friends  in  America,  not 
directly,  but  representing  a  gentleman  who  in  his 
letter   did   not   disclose   himself.     It    sounds    rather 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  209 

complicated,  but  please  talk  to  me.     I  am  at  your 
service." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  the  apparent  mystery,"  Norgate 
said,  as  he  took  the  seat  to  which  he  was  invited. 
"  I  will  make  up  for  it  by  being  very  brief.  I  have 
come  on  behalf  of  a  certain  individual  —  whom  we 

will  call,  if  you  please,  Mr.  X .     Mr.  X has 

powerful  connections  in  America,  associated  chiefly 
with  German-Americans.     As  you  know  from  your 
own  correspondence  with  an  organisation  over  there, 
the  situation  in  Ireland  is  intensely  interesting  to_ 
them  at  the  present  moment." 

"  I  have  gathered  that,  sir,"  Mr.  Bullen  confessed. 
"  The  help  which  the  Irish  and  Americans  have  sent 
to  Dublin  has  scarcely  been  of  the  magnitude  which 
one  might  have  expected,  but  one  is  at  least  assured 
of  their  sympathy." 

"  It  is  partly  my  mission  to  assure  you  of  some- 
thing else,"  Norgate  declared.  '*  A  secret  meeting 
has  been  held  in  New  York,  and  a  sum  of  money  has 
been  promised,  the  amount  of  which  would,  I  think, 
surprise  you.  The  conditions  attached  to  this  gift, 
however,  are  peculiar.  They  are  inspired  by  a  pro- 
found disbelief  in  the  bona  fides  of  England  and 
the  honourableness  of  her  intentions  so  far  as 
regards  the  administration  of  the  bill  when 
passed." 

Mr.  Bullen,  who  at  first  had  seemed  a  little  puz- 
zled, was  now  deeply  interested.  He  drew  his  chair 
nearer  to  his  visitor's. 

"  What  grounds  have  you,  or  those  whom  you  rep- 
resent, for  saying  that?  "  he  demanded. 


210  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  None  that  I  can  divulge,"  Norgate  replied. 
"  Yet  they  form  the  motive  of  the  offer  which  I  am 
about  to  make  to  you.  I  am  instructed  to  say  that 
the  sum  of  a  million  pounds  will  be  paid  into  your 
funds  on  certain  guarantees  to  be  given  by  you.  It 
is  my  business  here  to  place  these  guarantees  before 
you  and  to  report  as  to  your  attitude  concerning 
them." 

"  One  million  pounds ! "  Mr.  Bullen  murmured, 
breathlessly. 

"  There  are  the  conditions,"  Norgate  reminded 
him. 

"Well?" 

"  In  the  first  place,"  Norgate  continued,  "  the  sub- 
scribers to  this  fund,  which  is  by  no  means  exhausted 
by  the  sum  I  mention,  demand  that  you  accept  no 
compromise,  that  at  all  costs  you  insist  upon  the 
whole  bill,  and  that  if  it  is  attempted  at  the  last 
moment  to  deprive  the  Irish  people  by  trickery  of 
the  full  extent  of  their  liberty,  you  do  not  hesitate 
to  encourage  your  Nationalist  party  to  fight  for 
their  freedom." 

Mr.  Bullen's  lips  were  a  little  parted,  but  his  face 
was  immovable. 

"  Go  on." 

"  In  the  event  of  your  doing  so,"  Norgate  con- 
tinued, "  more  money,  and  arms  themselves  if  you 
require  them,  will  be  available,  but  the  motto  of 
those  who  have  the  cause  of  Ireland  entirely  at  heart 
is,  *  No  compromise ! '  They  recognise  the  fact  that 
you  are  in  a  difficult  position.  They  fear  that  you 
have  allowed  yourself  to  be  influenced,  to  be  weak- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  211 

ened  by  pressure  so  easily  brought  upon  you  from 
high  quarters." 

"  I  understand,"  Mr.  BuUen  remarked.     "  Go  on." 

"  There  is  a  further  condition,"  Norgate  pro- 
ceeded, "  though  that  is  less  important.  The  posi- 
tion in  Europe  at  the  present  moment  seems  to  indi- 
cate a  lasting  peace,  yet  if  anything  should  happen 
that  that  peace  should  be  broken,  you  are  asked  to 
pledge  your  word  that  none  of  your  Nationalist 
volunteers  should  take  up  arms  on  behalf  of  Eng- 
land until  that  bill  has  become  law  and  is  in  oper- 
ation. Further,  if  that  unlikely  event,  a  war,  should 
take  place,  that  you  have  the  courage  to  keep  your 
men  solid  and  armed,  and  that  if  the  Ulster  volun- 
teers, unlike  your  men,  decide  to  fight  for  England, 
as  they  very  well  might  do,  that  you  then  proceed 
to  take  by  force  what  it  is  not  the  intention  of  Eng- 
land to  grant  you  by  any  other  means." 

Mr.  Bullen  leaned  back  in  his  chair.  He  picked  up 
a  penholder  and  played  with  it  for  several  moments. 

"  Young  man,"  he  asked  at  last,  "  who  is  Mr. 
X ?  " 

"  That,  in  the  present  stage  of  our  negotiations," 
Norgate  answered  coolly,  "  I  am  not  permitted  to 
tell  you." 

"  May  I  guess  as  to  his  nationality.''  "  Mr.  Bullen 
enquired. 

"  I  cannot  prevent  your  doing  that." 

"  The  speculation  is  an  interesting  one,"  Mr. 
Bullen  went  on,  still  fingering  the  penholder.  "  Is 
Mr.  X a  German?  " 

Norgate  was  silent. 


212  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  cannot  answer  questions,"  he  said,  "  until  you 
have  expressed  your  views." 

"  You  can  have  them,  then,"  Mr.  Bullen  declared. 

*'  You  can  go  back  to  Mr.  X and  tell  him  this. 

Ireland  needs  help  sorely  to-day  from  all  her  sons, 
whether  at  home  or  in  foreign  countries.  More  than 
anything  she  needs  money.  The  million  pounds  of 
which  you  speak  would  be  a  splendid  contribution  to 
what  I  may  term  our  war  chest.  But  as  to  my 
views,  here  they  are.  It  is  my  intention,  and  the 
intention  of  my  Party,  to  fight  to  the  last  gasp  for 
the  literal  carrying  out  of  the  bill  which  is  to  grant 
us  our  liberty.  We  will  not  have  it  whittled  away  or 
weakened  one  iota.  Our  lives,  and  the  lives  of 
greater  men,  have  been  spent  to  win  this  measure, 
and  now  we  stand  at  the  gates  of  success.  We  should 
be  traitors  if  we  consented  to  part  with  a  single 
one  of  the  benefits  it  brings  us.     Therefore,  you  can 

tell  Mr.  X that  should  this  Government  attempt 

any  such  trickery  as  he  not  unreasonably  suspects, 
then  his  conditions  will  be  met.  My  men  shall  fight, 
and  their  cause  will  be  just." 

"  So  far,"  Norgate  admitted,  "  this  is  very  satis- 
factory." 

"  To  pass  on,"  Mr.  Bullen  continued,  "  let  me  at 
once  confess  that  I  find  something  sinister,  Mr.  Nor- 
gate, in  this  mysterious  visit  of  yours,  in  the  hidden 

identity  of  Mr.  X .     I  suspect  some  underlying 

motive  which  prompts  the  offering  of  this  million 
pounds.  I  may  be  wrong,  but  it  seems  to  me  that 
I  can  see  beneath  it  all  the  hand  of  a  foreign  enemy 
of  England." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  213 

"  Supposing  you  were  right,  Mr.  Bullen,"  Norgate 
said,  "  what  is  England  but  a  foreign  enemy  of  Ire- 
land? " 

A  light  flashed  for  a  moment  in  Mr.  BuUen's  eyes. 
His  lip  curled  inwards. 

^'  Young  man,"  he  demanded,  "  are  you  an  Eng- 
lishman.'' " 

"  I  am,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  You  speak  poorly,  then.  To  proceed  to  the 
matter  in  point,  my  word  is  pledged  to  fight.  I  will 
plunge  the  country  I  love  into  civil  war  to  gain  her 
rights,  as  greater  patriots  than  I  have  done  before. 
But  the  thing  which  I  will  not  do  is  to  be  made  the 
cat's-paw,  or  to  suffer  Ireland  to  be  made  the  cat's- 
paw,  of  Germany.  If  war  should  come  before  the 
settlement  of  my  business,  this  is  the  position  I 
should  take.  I  would  cross  to  Dublin,  and  I  would 
tell  every  Nationalist  Volunteer  to  shoulder  his  rifle 
and  to  fight  for  the  British  Empire,  and  I  would  go 
on  to  Belfast  —  I,  David  Bullen  —  to  Belfast,  where 
I  think  that  I  am  the  most  hated  man  alive,  and  I 
would  stand  side  by  side  with  the  leader  of  those  men 
of  Ulster,  and  I  would  beg  them  to  fight  side  by  side 
with  my  Nationalists.  And  when  the  war  was  over, 
if  my  rights  were  not  granted,  if  Ireland  were  not  set 
free,  then  I  would  bid  my  men  take  breathing  time 
and  use  all  their  skill,  all  the  experience  they  had 
gained,  and  turn  and  fight  for  their  own  freedom 
against  the  men  with  whom  they  had  struggled  in  the 
same  ranks.  Is  that  million  pounds  to  be  mine,  Mr. 
Norgate?  " 

Norgate  shook  his  head. 


214  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

*'  Nor  any  part  of  it,  sir,"  he  answered. 

"  I  presume,"  Mr.  Bullen  remarked,  as  he  rose, 
**  that  I  shall  never  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
Mr.  X ?  " 

"  I  most  sincerely  hope,"  Norgate  declared  fer- 
vently, "  that  you  never  will.  Good-day,  Mr. 
Bullen ! " 

He  held  out  his  hand.     Mr.  Bullen  hesitated. 

*'  Sir,"  he  said,  "  I  am  glad  to  shake  hands  with 
an  Irishman.  I  am  willing  to  shake  hands  with  an 
honest  Englishman.  Just  where  you  come  in,  I  don't 
know,  so  good  evening.  You  will  find  my  secretary 
outside.     He  will  show  you  how  to  get  away." 

For  a  moment  Norgate  faltered.  A  hot  rejoinder 
trembled  upon  his  lips.  Then  he  remembered  him- 
self and  turned  on  his  heel.  It  was  his  first  lesson  in 
discipline.     He  left  the  room  without  protest. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  turned  into  Pall  Mall,  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  his  expression  a  little  less 
indicative  of  bland  good  humour  than  usual.  He 
had  forgotten  to  light  his  customary  cigarette  after 
the  exigencies  of  a  Cabinet  Council.  He  had  even 
forgotten  to  linger  for  a  few  minutes  upon  the  door- 
step in  case  any  photographer  should  be  hanging 
around  to  take  a  snapshot  of  a  famous  visitor  leav- 
ing an  historic  scene,  and  quite  unconsciously  he  ig- 
nored the  salutation  of  several  friends.  It  was  only 
by  the  merest  chance  that  he  happened  to  glance  up 
at  the  corner  of  the  street  and  recognised  Norgate 
across  the  way.  He  paused  at  once  and  beckoned  to 
him. 

"  Well,  young  fellow,"  he  exclaimed,  as  they  shook 
hands,  "  how's  the  German  spy  business  going?  " 

"  Pretty  well,  thanks,"  Norgate  answered  coolly. 
*'  I  am  in  it  twice  over  now.  I'm  marrying  an  Aus- 
trian lady  shortly,  very  high  up  indeed  in  the  Diplo- 
matic Secret  Service  of  her  country.  Between  us 
you  may  take  it  that  we  could  read,  if  we  chose,  the 
secrets  of  the  Cabinet  Council  from  which  you  have 
just  come." 

"  Any  fresh  warnings,  eh  ?  " 

Norgate  turned  and  walked  by  his  friend's  side. 


2i6  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  It  is  no  use  warning  you,"  he  declared. 
**  You've  a  hide  as  thick  as  a  rhinoceros.  Your 
complacency  is  bomb-proof.  You  won't  believe  any- 
thing until  it's  too  late." 

"Confoundedly  disagreeable  companion  you  make, 
Norgate,"  the  Cabinet  Minister  remarked  irritably. 
*'  You  know  quite  as  well  as  I  do  that  the  German 
scare  is  all  bunkum,  and  you  only  hammer  it  in  either 
to  amuse  yourself  or  because  you  are  of  a  sensa- 
tional turn  of  mind.     All  the  same — " 

"  All  the  same,  what  ?  "  Norgate  interrupted. 

Hebblethwaite  took  his  young  friend's  arm  and 
led  him  into  his  club. 

"  We  will  take  an  aperitif  in  the  smoking-room," 
he  said.  "  After  that  I  will  look  in  my  book  and  see 
where  I  am  lunching.  It  is  perhaps  not  the  wisest 
thing  for  a  Cabinet  Minister  to  talk  in  the  street. 
Since  the  Suffragette  scares,  I  have  quite  an  eye  for 
a  detective,  and  there  has  been  a  fellow  within  a  few 
yards  of  your  elbow  ever  since  you  spoke  to  me." 

*'  That's  all  right,"  Norgate  reassured  him. 
"Let's  see,  it's  Tuesday,  isn't  it?  I  call  him  Boko. 
He  never  leaves  me.  My  week-end  shadowers  are  a 
trifle  less  assiduous,  but  Boko  is  suspicious.  He  has 
deucedly  long  ears,  too." 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  Heb- 
blethwaite demanded,  as  they  sat  down. 

"  The  fact  of  it  is,"  Norgate  explained,  "  they 
don't  altogether  trust  me  in  my  new  profession. 
They  give  me  some  important  jobs  to  look  after,  but 
they  watch  me  night  and  day.  What  they'd  do  if 
I  turned  'em  up,  I  can't  imagine.     By-the-by,  if  you 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  217 

do  hear  of  my  being  found  mysteriously  shot  or  poi- 
soned or  something  of  that  sort,  don't  you  take  on 
any  theory  as  to  suicide.  It  will  be  murder,  right 
enough.  However,"  he  added,  raising  his  glass  to 
his  lips  and  nodding,  "  they  haven't  found  me  out 
yet." 

"  I  hear,"  Hebblethwaite  muttered,  "  that  the 
bookstalls  are  loaded  with  this  sort  of  rubbish.  You 
do  it  very  well,  though." 

"  Oh !  I  am  the  real  thing  all  right,"  Norgate  de- 
clared.    "  By-the-by,  what's  the  matter  with  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  Hebblethwaite  replied.  "  When  you 
come  to  think  of  it,  sitting  here  and  feeling  the  reviv- 
ing influence  of  this  remarkably  well-concocted  bever- 
age, I  can  confidently  answer  '  Nothing.'  And  yet, 
a  few  minutes  ago,  I  must  admit  that  I  was  conscious 
of  a  sensation  of  gloom.  You  know,  Norgate,  you're 
not  the  only  idiot  in  the  world  who  goes  about  seeing 
shadows.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  begin  to 
wonder  whether  we  haven't  got  a  couple  of  them 
among  us.  Of  course,  I  don't  take  any  notice  of 
Spencer  Wyatt.  It's  his  job.  He  plays  the  part  of 
popular  hero  —  National  Anthem,  God  Save  the  Em- 
pire, and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  He  must  keep  in 
with  his  admirals  and  the  people,  so  of  course  he's 
always  barking  for  ships.  But  White,  now.  I  have 
always  looked  upon  White  as  being  absolutely  the 
most  level-headed,  sensible,  and  peace-adoring  Minis- 
ter this  country  ever  had." 

"  What's  wrong  with  him  ?  "  Norgate  asked. 

"  I  cannot,"  Hebblethwaite  regretted,  "  talk  confi- 
dentially to  a  German  spy." 


2i8  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Getting  cautious  as  the  years  roll  on,  aren't 
jou?  "  Norgate  sighed.  "I  hoped  I  was  going  to 
get  something  interesting  out  of  you  to  cable  to 
Berlin." 

"  You  try  cabling  to  Berlin,  young  fellow,"  Heb- 
blethwaite  replied  grimly,  "  and  I'll  have  you  up  at 
Bow  Street  pretty  soon !  There's  no  doubt  about  it, 
though,  old  White  has  got  the  shivers  for  some  rea- 
son or  other.  To  any  sane  person  things  were  never 
calmer  and  more  peaceful  than  at  the  present  mo- 
ment, and  White  isn't  a  believer  in  the  German  peril, 
either.  He  is  half  inclined  to  agree  with  old  Busby. 
He  got  us  out  of  that  Balkan  trouble  in  great  style, 
and  all  I  can  say  is  that  if  any  nation  in  Europe 
wanted  war  then,  she  could  have  had  it  for  the  ask- 
ing." 

"  Well,  exactly  what  is  the  matter  with  White  at 
the  present  moment.''  "  Norgate  demanded. 

"  Got  the  shakes,"  Hebblethwaite  confided.  "  Of 
course,  we  don't  employ  well-bom  young  Germans 
who  are  undergoing  a  period  of  rustication,  as  Eng- 
lish spies,  but  we  do  get  to  know  a  bit  what  goes  on 
there,  and  the  reports  that  are  coming  in  are  just  a 
little  curious.  Rolling  stock  is  being  called  into  the 
termini  of  all  the  railways.  Staff  officers  in  mufti 
have  been  round  all  the  frontiers.  There's  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  drilling  going  on,  and  the  ordnance 
factories  are  working  at  full  pressure,  day  and 
night." 

"  The  manoeuvres  are  due  very  soon,"  Norgate  re- 
minded his  friend. 

"  So  I  told  White,"  Hebblethwaite  continued,  "  but 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  219 

manoeuvres,  as  he  remarked,  don't  lead  to  quite  so 
much  feverish  activity  as  there  is  about  Germany 
just  now.  Personally,  I  haven't  a  single  second's 
anxiety.  I  only  regret  the  effect  that  this  sort  of 
feeling  has  upon  the  others.  Thank  heavens  we  are 
a  Government  of  sane,  peace-believing  people !  " 

"  A  Government  of  fat-headed  asses  who  go  about 
with  your  ears  stuffed  full  of  wool,"  Norgate  de- 
clared, with  a  sudden  bitterness.  "  Wliat  you've 
been  telling  me  is  the  truth.  Germany's  getting 
ready  for  war,  and  you'll  have  it  in  the  neck  pretty 
soon." 

Hebblethwaite  set  down  his  empty  glass.  He  had 
recovered  his  composure. 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  I  met  you,  any  way,  young  fel- 
low," he  remarked.  "  You're  always  such  an  opti- 
mist. You  cheer  one  up.  Sorry  I  can't  ask  you  to 
lunch,"  he  went  on,  consulting  his  book,  "  but  I  find 
I  am  motoring  down  for  a  round  of  golf  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Yes,  you  would  play  golf ! "  Norgate  grunted, 
as  they  strolled  towards  the  door.  "  You're  the 
modem  Nero,  playing  golf  while  the  earthquake 
yawns  under  London." 

"  Play  you  some  day,  if  you  like,"  Hebblethwaite 
suggested,  as  he  called  for  a  taxi.  "  They  took  my 
handicap  doAvn  two  last  week  at  Walton  Heath  — 
not  before  it  was  time,  either.  By-the-by,  when  can 
I  meet  the  young  lady?  My  people  may  be  out  of 
town  next  week,  but  I'll  give  you  both  a  lunch  or  a 
dinner,  if  you'll  say  the  word.  Thursday  night, 
eh?" 


220  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  At  present,"  Norgate  replied,  "  the  Baroness  is 
in  Italy,  arranging  for  the  mobilisation  of  the 
Italian  armies,  but  if  she's  back  for  Thursday,  we 
shall  be  delighted.  She'll  be  quite  interested  to  meet 
you.  A  keen,  bright,  alert  politician  of  your  type 
will  simply  fascinate  her." 

"  We'll  make  it  Thursday  night,  then,  at  the  Carl- 
ton," Hebblethwaite  called  out  from  his  taxi. 
"  Take  care  of  Boko.     So  long!  " 

At  the  top  of  St.  James's  Street,  Norgate  re- 
ceived the  bow  of  a  very  elegantly-dressed  young 
woman  who  was  accompanied  by  a  well-known  sol- 
dier. A  few  steps  further  on  he  came  face  to  face 
with  Selingman. 

"  A  small  city,  London,"  the  latter  declared.  "  I 
am  on  my  way  to  the  Berkeley  to  lunch.  Will  you 
come  with  me?  I  am  alone  to-day,  and  I  hate  to 
eat  alone.  Miss  Morgen  has  deserted  me  shame- 
fully." 

"  I  met  her  a  moment  or  two  ago,"  Norgate  re- 
marked.    "  She  was  with  Colonel  Bowden." 

Selingman  nodded.  "  Rosa  has  been  taking  a 
great  interest  in  flying  lately.  Colonel  Bowden  is 
head  of  the  Flying  Section.  Well,  well,  one  must 
expect  to  be  deserted  sometimes,  we  older  men." 

"  Especially  in  so  great  a  cause,"  Norgate  ob- 
served drily. 

Selingman  smiled  enigmatically. 

"  And  you,  my  young  friend,"  he  enquired,  "  what 
have  you  been  doing  this  morning?  " 

"  I  have  just  left  Hebblethwaite,"  Norgate  an- 
swered. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  221 

"  There  was  a  Cabinet  Council  this  morning, 
wasn't  there?  " 

Norgate   nodded. 

"  An  unimportant  one,  I  should  imagine.  Heb- 
blethwaite  seemed  thoroughly  satisfied  with  himself 
and  with  life  generally.  He  has  gone  down  to  Wal- 
ton Heath  to  play  golf." 

Selingman  led  the  way  into  the  restaurant. 

"  Very  good  exercise  for  an  English  Cabinet  Min- 
ister," he  remarked,  "  capital  for  the  muscles !  " 

/ 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

"  I  had  no  objection,"  Norgate  remarked,  a  few 
hours  later,  "  to  lunching  with  you  at  the  Berkeley 
—  very  good  lunch  it  was,  too  —  but  to  dine  with 
you  in  Soho  certainly  seems  to  require  some  explana- 
tion. Why  do  we  do  it?  Is  it  my  punishment  for 
a  day's  inactivity,  because  if  so,  I  beg  to  protest. 
I  did  my  best  with  Hebblethwaite  this  morning,  and 
it  was  only  because  there  was  nothing  for  him  to 
tell  me  that  I  heard  nothing." 

Selingman  spread  himself  out  at  the  little  table 
and  talked  in  voluble  German  to  the  portly  head- 
waiter  in  greasy  clothes.  Then  he  turned  to  his 
guest. 

"  My  young  friend,"  he  enj  oined,  "  you  should 
cultivate  a  spirit  of  optimism.  I  grant  you  that 
the  place  is  small  and  close,  that  the  odour  of  other 
people's  dinners  is  repellent,  that  this  cloth,  per- 
haps, is  not  so  clean  as  it  once  was,  or  the  linen  so 
fine  as  we  are  accustomed  to.  But  what  would  you 
have?  All  sides  of  life  come  into  the  great  scheme. 
It  is  here  that  we  shall  meet  a  person  whom  I  need  to 
meet,  a  person  whom  I  do  not  choose  to  have  visit  me 
at  my  home,  whom  I  do  not  choose  to  be  seen  with 
in  any  public  place  of  great  repute." 

"  I  should  say  we  were  safe  here  from  knocking 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  223 

against  any  of  our  friends ! "  Norgate  observed. 
*'  Anyhow,  the  beer's  all  right." 

They  were  served  with  light-coloured  beer  in  tall, 
chased  tumblers.     Selingman  eyed  his  with  approval. 

"  A  nation,"  he  declared,  "  which  brews  beer  like 
this,  deserves  well  of  the  world.  You  did  wisely, 
Norgate,  to  become  ever  so  slightly  associated  with 
us.  Now  examine  carefully  these  liors  d'ceuvres.  I 
have  talked  with  Karl,  the  head-waiter.  Instead  of 
eighteen  pence,  we  shall  pay  three  shillings  each  for 
our  dinner.  The  whole  resources  of  the  establish- 
ment are  at  our  disposal.  Fresh  tins  of  delicatessen, 
you  perceive.  Do  not  be  afraid  that  you  will  go 
away  hungry." 

"  I  am  more  afraid,"  Norgate  grumbled,  "  that  I 
shall  go  away  sick.     However !  " 

"  You  may  be  interested  to  hear,"  announced 
Selingman,  glancing  up,  "  that  our  visit  is  not  in 
vain.  You  perceive  the  two  men  entering?  The 
nearest  one  is  a  Bulgarian.  He  is  a  creature  of 
mine.  The  other  is  brought  here  by  him  to  meet  us. 
It  is  good." 

The  newcomers  made  their  way  along  the  room. 
One,  the  Bulgarian,  was  short  and  dark.  He  wore  a 
well-brushed  blue  serge  suit  with  a  red  tie,  and  a 
small  bowler  hat.  He  was  smoking  a  long,  brown 
cigarette  and  he  carried  a  bundle  of  newspapers. 
Behind  him  came  a  youth  with  a  pale,  sensitive  face 
and  dark  eyes,  ill-dressed,  with  the  grip  of  poverty 
upon  him,  from  his  patched  shoes  to  his  frayed  collar 
and  well-worn  cap.  Nevertheless,  he  carried  himself 
as  though  indifferent  to  these  things.     His  compan- 


224  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

ion  stopped  short  as  he  neared  the  table  at  which 
the  two  men  were  sitting,  and  took  off  his  hat,  greet- 
ing Selingman  with  respect. 

"  My  friend  Stralhaus ! "  Selingman  exclaimed. 
**  It  goes  well,  I  trust .''  You  are  a  stranger.  Let 
me  introduce  to  you  my  secretary,  Mr.  Francis  Nor- 
gate." 

Stralhaus  bowed  and  turned  to  his  young  com- 
panion. 

"  This,"  he  said,  "  is  the  young  man  with  whom 
you  desired  to  speak.     We  will  sit  down  if  we  may. 
f  Sigismund,  this  is  the  great  Herr  Selingman,  phi- 
lanthropist and  millionaire,  with  his  secretary,  Mr. 
Norgate.     We  take  dinner  with  him  to-night." 

The  youth  shook  hands  without  enthusiasm.  His 
manner  towards  Selingman  was  cold.  At  Norgate 
he  glanced  once  or  twice  with  something  approaching 
curiosity.  Stralhaus  proceeded  to  make  conversa- 
tion. 

*'  Our  young  friend,"  he  explained,  addressing 
Norgate,  "  is  an  exile  in  London.  He  belongs  to  an 
unfortunate  country.     He  is  a  native  of  Bo^ia." 

The  boy's  lip  curled. 

"  It  is  possible,"  he  remarked,  "  that  Mr.  Norgate 
has  never  even  heard  of  my  country.  He  is  very 
little  likely  to  know  its  history." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  Norgate  replied,  "  I  know  it ' 
very  well.     You  have  had  the  misfortune,  during  the 
last  few  years,  to  come  under  Austrian  rule." 

"  Since  you  put  it  like  that,"  the  boy  declared, 
*'  we  are  friends.  I  am  one  of  those  who  cry  out  to 
Heaven  in  horror  at  the  injustice  which  has  been 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  225 

done.  We  love  liberty,  we  Bosnians.  We  love  our 
own  people  and  our  own  institutions,  and  we  hate 
Austria.  May  you  never  know,  sir,  what  it  is  to  be 
ruled  by  an  alien  race !  "  . 

"  You  have  at  least  the  sympathy  of  many  nations 
who  are  powerless  to  interfere,"  Selingman  said 
quietly.  "  I  read  your  pamphlet,  ]Mr.  Henriote,  with 
very  great  interest.  Before  we  leave  to-night,  I 
shall  make  a  proposal  to  you." 

The  boy  seemed  puzzled  for  a  moment,  but  Stral- 
haus  intervened  with  some  commonplace  remark. 

"  After  dinner,"  he  suggested,  "  we  will  talk." 

Certainly  during  the  progress  of  the  meal  Henriote 
said  little.  He  ate,  although  obviously  half  fam- 
ished, with  restraint,  but  although  Norgate  did  his 
best  to  engage  him  in  conversation,  he  seemed  taci- 
turn, almost  sullen.  Towards  the  end  of  dinner, 
when  every  one  was  smoking  and  coffee  had  been 
served,  Selingman  glanced  at  his  watch. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  I  will  tell  you,  my  young  Bos- 
nian patriot,  why  I  sent  for  you.  Would  you 
like  to  go  back  to  your  country,  in  the  first 
place  ?  " 

"  It  is  impossible  I "  Henriote  declared  bitterly. 
"  I  am  exile.  I  am  forbidden  to  return  under  pain 
of  death." 

Selingman  opened  his  pocket-book,  and,  searching 
among  his  papers,  produced  a  thin  blue  one  which 
he  opyened  and  passed  across  the  table. 

"  Read  that,"  he  ordered  shortly. 

The  young  man  obeyed.  A  sudden  exclamation 
broke  from  his  lips.     A  pink  flush,  which  neither  the 


226  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

wine  nor  the  food  had  produced,  burned  in  his 
cheeks.  He  sat  hunched  up,  leaning  forward,  his 
eyes  devouring  the  paper.  When  he  had  finished,  he 
still  gripped  it. 

"  It  is  mj  pardon !  "  he  cried.  "  I  may  go  back 
home  —  back  to  Bosnia !  " 

"  It  is  your  free  pardon,"  Selingman  replied,  "  but 
it  is  granted  to  you  upon  conditions.  Those  condi- 
tions, I  may  say,  are  entirely  for  your  country's 
sake  and  are  framed  by  those  who  feel  exactly  as 
you  feel  —  that  Austrian  rule  for  Bosnia  is  an  in- 
justice." 

"  Go  on,"  the  young  man  muttered.  "  What  am 
I  to  do?" 

'*  You  are  a  member,"  Selingman  went  on,  "  of  the 
extreme  revolutionary  party,  a  party  pledged  to 
stop  at  nothing,  to  drive  your  country's  enemies 
across  her  borders.  Very  well,  listen  to  me.  The 
pardon  which  you  have  there  is  granted  to  you  with- 
out any  promise  having  been  asked  for  or  given  in 
return.  It  is  I  alone  who  dictate  terms  to  you. 
Your  country's  position,  her  wrongs,  and  the  abuses 
of  the  present  form  of  government,  can  only  be 
brought  before  the  notice  of  Europe  in  one  way. 
You  are  pledged  to  do  that.  All  that  I  require  of 
you  is  that  you  keep  your  pledge." 

The  young  man  half  rose  to  his  feet  with  excite- 
ment. 

"  Keep  it !  Who  is  more  anxious  to  keep  it  than 
I?  If  Europe  wants  to  know  how  we  feel,  she  shall 
know !  We  will  proclaim  the  wrongs  of  our  country 
so  that  England  and  Russia,  France  and  Italy,  shall 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  227 

hear  and  judge  for  themselves.  If  you  need  deeds 
to  rivet  the  attention  of  the  world  upon  our  suffer- 
ings, then  there  shall  be  deeds.     There  shall  — " 

He  stopped  short.  A  look  of  despair  crossed  his 
face. 

"  But  we  have  no  money ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  We 
patriots  are  starving.  Our  lands  have  been  confis- 
cated. We  have  nothing.  I  live  over  here  Heaven 
knows  how  —  I,  Sigismund  Henriote,  have  toiled  for 
my  living  with  Polish  Jews  and  the  outcasts  of 
Europe." 

Selingman  dived  once  more  into  his  pocket-book. 
He  passed  a  packet  across  the  table. 

*'  Young  man,"  he  said,  "  that  sum  has  been  col- 
lected for  your  funds  by  the  friends  of  your  country 
abroad.  Take  it  and  use  it  as  you  think  best.  All 
that  I  ask  from  you  is  that  what  you  do,  you  do 
quickly.  Let  me  suggest  an  occasion  for  you.  The 
Archduke  of  Austria  will  be  in  your  capital  almost 
as  soon  as  you  can  reach  home." 

The  boy's  face  was  transfigured.  His  great  eyes 
were  lit  with  a  wonderful  fire.  His  frame  seemed 
to  have  filled  out.  Norgate  looked  at  him  in  won- 
derment. He  was  like  a  prophet ;  then  suddenly  he 
grew  calm.  He  placed  his  pardon,  to  which  was  at- 
tached his  passport,  and  the  notes,  in  his  breast-coat 
pocket.  He  rose  to  his  feet  and  took  the  cap  from 
the  floor  by  his  side. 

"  There  is  a  train  to-night,"  he  announced.  "  I 
wish  you  farewell,  gentlemen.  I  know  nothing  of 
you,  sir,"  he  added,  turning  to  Selingman,  "  and  I 
ask  no  questions.     I  only  know  that  you  have  pointed 


228  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

towards  the  light,  and  for  that  I  thank  you.  Good 
night,  gentlemen ! " 

He  left  them  and  walked  out  of  the  restaurant  like 
a  man  in  a  dream.  Selingman  helped  himself  to  a 
liqueur  and  passed  the  bottle  to  Norgate. 

"  It  is  in  strange  places  that  one  may  start  some- 
times the  driving  wheels  of  Fate,"  he  remarked. 


^ 


CHAPTER  XXX 

Anna  almost  threw  herself  from  the  railway  car- 
riage into  Norgate's  arms.  She  kissed  him  on  both 
cheeks,  held  him  for  a  moment  away  from  her,  then 
passed  her  arm  affectionately  through  his. 

"  You  dear !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  how  weary 
I  am  of  it !  Nearly  a  week  in  the  train !  And  how 
well  you  are  looking!  And  I  am  not  going  to  stay 
a  single  second  bothering  about  luggage.  Marie, 
give  the  porter  my  dressing-case.  Here  are  the  keys. 
You  can  see  to  everything." 

Norgate,  carried  almost  off  his  feet  by  the  delight 
of  her  welcome,  led  her  away  towards  a  taxicab. 

"  I  am  starving,"  she  told  him.  "  I  would  have 
nothing  at  Dover  except  a  cup  of  tea.  I  knew  that 
you  would  meet  me,  and  I  thought  that  we  would 
have  our  first  meal  in  England  together.  You  shall 
take  me  somewhere  where  we  can  have  supper  and  tell 
me  all  the  news.  I  don't  look  too  hideous,  do  I,  in 
my  travelling  clothes?  " 

"  You  look  adorable,"  he  assured  her,  "  and  I  be- 
lieve you  know  it." 

"  I  have  done  my  best,"  she  confessed  demurely. 
"  Marie  took  so  much  trouble  with  my  hair.  We 
had  the  most  delightful  coupe  all  to  ourselves. 
Fancy,  we  are  back  again  in  London!  I  have  been 
to  Italy,  I  have  spoken  to  kings  and  prime  minis- 
ters, and  I  am  back  again  with  you.     And  queerly 


230  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

enough,  not  until  to-morrow  shall  I  see  the  one  per- 
son who  really  rules  Italy." 

"Who  is  that?"  he  asked. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  shall  tell  you  everything," 
she  decided.  "  You  have  not  opened  your  mouth  to 
me  yet.  I  shall  wait  until  supper-time.  Have  you 
changed  your  mind  since  I  went  away?  " 

"  I  shall  never  change  it,"  he  assured  her  eagerly. 
"  We  are  in  a  taxicab  and  I  know  it's  most  unusual 
and  improper,  but — " 

"  If  you  hadn't  kissed  me,"  she  declared  a  mo- 
ment later  as  she  leaned  forward  to  look  in  the 
glass,  "  I  should  not  have  eaten  a  mouthful  of  sup- 
per." 

They  drove  to  the  Milan  Grill.  It  was  a  little 
early  for  the  theatre  people,  and  they  were  almost 
alone  in  the  place.  Anna  drew  a  great  sigh  of  con- 
tent as  she  settled  down  in  her  chair. 

"  I  think  I  must  have  been  lonely  for  a  long  time," 
she  whispered,  "  for  it  is  so  delightful  to  get  back 
and  be  with  you.  Tell  me  what  you  have  been 
doing?  " 

"  I  have  been  promoted,"  Norgate  announced. 
**  My  prospective  alliance  with  you  has  completed 
Selingman's  confidence  in  me.  I  have  been  entrusted 
with  several  commissions." 

He  told  her  of  his  adventures.  She  listened 
breathlessly  to  the  account  of  his  dinner  in  Soho. 

"  It  is  queer  how  all  this  is  working  out,"  she  ob- 
served. "  I  knew  before  that  the  trouble  was  to 
come  through  Austria.  The  Emperor  was  very 
anxious  indeed  that  it  should  not.     He  wanted  to 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  231 

have  his  country  brought  reluctantly  into  the  strug- 
gle. Even  at  this  moment  I  believe  that  if  he  thought 
there  was  the  slightest  chance  of  England  becoming 
embroiled,  he  would  travel  to  Berlin  himself  to  plead 
with  the  Kaiser.  I  really  don't  know  why,  but  the 
one  thing  in  Austria  which  would  be  thoroughly  un- 
popular would  be  a  war  with  England." 

"  Tell  me  about  your  mission.''  "  he  asked. 

"  To  a  certain  point,"  she  confessed,  with  a  little 
grimace,  "  it  was  unsuccessful.  I  have  brought  a 
reply  to  the  personal  letter  I  took  over  to  the  King. 
I  have  talked  with  Guillamo,  the  Secretary  of  State 
for  Foreign  Affairs,  with  whom,  of  course,  every- 
thing is  supposed  to  rest.  What  I  have  brought 
with  me,  however,  and  what  I  heard  from  Guillamo, 
are  nothing  but  a  repetition  of  the  assurances  given 
to  our  Ambassador.  The  few  private  words  which 
I  was  to  get  I  have  failed  in  obtaining,  simply  be- 
cause the  one  person  who  could  have  spoken  them  is 
here  in  London." 

"  Who  is  that  ?  "  he  enquired  curiously. 

"  The  Comtesse  di  Strozzi,"  she  told  him.  "  It  is 
she  who  has  directed  the  foreign  policy  of  Italy 
through  Guillamo  for  the  last  ten  years.  He  does 
nothing  without  her.  He  is  like  a  lost  child,  indeed, 
when  she  is  away.  And  where  do  you  think  she  is.** 
Why,  here  in  London.  She  is  staying  at  the  Italian 
Embassy.  Signor  Cardina  is  her  cousin.  The  great 
ball  to-morrow  night,  of  which  you  have  read,  is  in 
her  honour.  You  shall  be  my  escort.  At  one  time 
I  knew  her  quite  well." 

"  The     Comtesse     di     Strozzi ! "     he     exclaimed. 


232  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Why,  she  spent  the  whole  of  last  season  in  Paris. 
I  saw  quite  a  great  deal  of  her." 

"  How  odd ! "  Anna  murmured.  "  But  how  de- 
lightful! We  shall  be  able  to  talk  to  her  together, 
you  and  I." 

"  It  is  rather  a  coincidence,"  he  admitted.  "  She 
had  a  sort  of  craze  to  visit  some  of  the  places  in 
Paris  where  it  is  necessary  for  a  woman  to  go 
incognito,  and  I  was  always  her  escort.  I  heard 
from  her  only  a  few  weeks  ago,  and  she  told  me  that 
she  was  coming  to  London." 

Anna  shook  her  head  at  him  gaily, 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  won't  indulge  in  any  ante- 
jealousies.  I  only  hope  that  through  her  we  shall 
get  to  know  the  truth.     Are  things  here  still  quiet  ?  " 

"  Absolutely." 

"  Also  in  Paris.  Francis,  I  feel  so  helpless.  On 
my  way  I  thought  of  staying  over,  of  going  to  see 
the  Minister  of  War  and  placing  certain  facts  before 
him.  And  then  I  realised  how  little  use  it  would  all 
be.  They  won't  believe  us,  Francis.  They  would 
simply  call  us  alarmists.  They  won't  believe  that 
the  storm  is  gathering." 

"  Don't  I  know  it ! "  Norgate  assented  earnestly. 
*'  Why,  Hebblethwaite  here  has  always  been  a  great 
friend  of  mine.  I  have  done  all  I  can  to  influence 
him.  He  simply  laughs  in  my  face.  To-day,  for 
the  first  time,  he  admitted  that  there  was  a  slight 
uneasiness  at  the  Cabinet  Meeting,  and  that  White 
had  referred  to  a  certain  mysterious  activity  through- 
out Germany.  Nevertheless,  he  has  gone  down  to 
Walton  Heath  to  play  golf." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  233 

She  made  a  little  grimace. 

"  Your  great  Drake,"  she  reminded  him,  "  played 
bowls  when  the  Armada  sailed.  Your  Cabinet  Min- 
isters will  be  playing  golf  or  tennis.  Oh,  what  a 
careless  country  you  are !  —  a  careless,  haphazard, 
blind,  pig-headed  nation  to  watch  over  the  destinies 
of  such  an  Empire!  I'm  so  tired  of  politics,  dear. 
I  am  so  tired  of  all  the  big  things  that  concern  other 
people.  They  press  upon  one.  Now  it  is  finished. 
You  and  I  are  alone.  You  are  my  lover,  aren't  you.'' 
Remind  me  of  it.  If  you  will,  I  will  discuss  the  sub- 
ject you  mentioned  the  other  day.  Of  course  I  shall 
say  '  No ! '  I  am  not  nearly  ready  to  be  married 
yet.  But  I  should  like  to  hear  your  argu- 
ments." 

Their  heads  grew  closer  and  closer  together. 
They  were  almost  touching  when  Selingman  and 
Rosa  Morgen  came  in.  Selingman  paused  before 
their  table. 

"  Well,  well,  young  people  I "  he  exclaimed. 
*'  Forgive  me.  Baroness,  if  I  am  somewhat  failing  in 
respect,  but  the  doings  of  this  young  man  have  be- 
come some  concern  of  mine." 

Her  greeting  was  tinged  with  a  certain  condescen- 
sion. She  had  suddenly  stiffened.  There  was  some- 
thing of  the  grande  dame  in  the  way  she  held  up  the 
tips  of  her  fingers. 

"You  do  not  disapprove,  I  trust.''" 

"  Baroness,"  Selingman  declared  earnestly,  "  it  is 
an  alliance  for  which  no  words  can  express  my  ap- 
proval. It  comes  at  the  one  moment.  It  has  riveted 
to  us  and  our  interests  one  whose  services  wiU  never 


234  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

be  forgotten.  May  I  venture  to  hope  that  your 
journey  to  Italy  has  been  productive?  " 

"  Not  entirely  as  we  had  hoped,"  Anna  replied, 
"  yet  the  position  there  is  not  unfavourable." 

Selingman  glanced  towards  the  table  at  which 
Miss  Morgen  had  already  seated  herself. 

"  I  must  not  neglect  my  duties,"  he  remarked, 
turning  away. 

"  Especially,"  Anna  murmured,  glancing  across 
the  room,  "  when  they  might  so  easily  be  construed 
into  pleasures." 

Selingman  beamed  amiably. 

"  The  young  lady,"  he  said,  "  is  more  than  orna- 
mental —  she  is  extremely  useful.  From  the  fact 
that  I  may  not  be  privileged  to  present  her  to  you, 
I  must  be  careful  that  she  cannot  consider  herself 
neglected.  And  so  good  night.  Baroness !  Good 
night,  Norgate ! " 

He  passed  on.  The  Baroness  watched  him  as  he 
took  his  place  opposite  his  companion. 

"  Is  it  my  fancy,"  Norgate  asked,  "  or  does  Se- 
lingman not  meet  entirely  with  your  approval.?  " 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  It  is  not  that,"  she  replied.  "  He  is  a  great 
man,  in  his  way,  the  Napoleon  of  the  bourgeoisie,  but 
then  he  is  one  of  them  himself.  He  collects  the  whole 
scheme  of  information  as  to  the  social  life  and  opin- 
ions —  the  domestic  particulars,  I  call  them  —  of 
your  country.  Details  of  your  industries  are  at  his 
finger-tips.  He  and  I  do  not  come  into  contact.  I 
am  the  trusted  agent  of  both  sovereigns,  but  it  is 
only  in  high  diplomatic  affairs  that  I  ever  intervene. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  235 

Selingman,  it  is  true,  may  be  considered  the  greatest 
spy  who  ever  breathed,  but  a  spy  he  is.  If  we  could 
only  persuade  your  too  amiable  officials  to  beheve 
one-tenth  of  what  we  could  tell  them,  I  think  our 
friend  there  would  breakfast  in  an  English  fortress, 
if  you  have  such  a  thing." 

"  We  should  only  place  him  under  police  super- 
vision," declared  Norgate,  "  and  let  him  go.  It's 
just  our  way,  that's  all." 

She  waved  the  subject  of  Selingman  on  one  side, 
but  almost  at  that  moment  he  stood  once  more  be- 
fore them.     He  held  an  evening  paper  in  his  hand. 

"  I  bring  you  the  news,"  he  announced.  "  A  ter- 
rible tragedy  has  happened.  The  Archduke  of  Aus- 
tria and  his  Consort  have  been  assassinated  on  their 
tour  through  Bosnia." 

For  a  moment  neither  Anna  nor  Norgate  moved. 
Norgate  felt  a  strange  sense  of  sickening  excitement. 
It  was  as  though  the  curtain  had  been  rung  up ! 

*'  Is  the  assassin's  name  there.?  "  he  asked. 

"  The  crime,"  Selingman  replied,  "  appears  to  have 
been  committed  by  a  young  Servian  student.  His 
name  is  Sigismund  Henriote."     . 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

They  paused  at  last,  breathless,  and  walked  out  of 
the  most  wonderful  ballroom  in  London  into  the 
gardens,  aglow  with  fairy  lanterns  whose  brilliance 
was  already  fading  before  the  rising  moon.  They 
found  a  seat  under  a  tall  elm  tree,  and  Anna  leaned 
back.  It  was  a  queer  mixture  of  sounds  which  came 
to  their  ears ;  in  the  near  distance,  the  music  of  a 
wonderful  orchestra  rising  and  falling ;  further  away, 
the  roar  of  the  great  city  still  awake  and  alive  out- 
side the  boundary  of  those  grey  stone  walls. 

"  Of  course,"  she  murmured,  "  this  is  the  one 
thing  which  completes  my  subjugation.  Fancy  an 
Englishman  being  able  to  waltz !  Almost  in  that 
beautiful  room  I  fancied  myself  back  in  Vienna,  ex- 
cept that  it  was  more  wonderful  because  it  was  you." 

"  You  are  turning  my  head,"  he  whisp€red. 
"  This  is  like  a  night  out  of  Paradise.  And  to  think 
that  we  are  really  in  the  middle  of  London  I " 

"  Ah !  do  not  mention  London,"  she  begged,  "  or 
else  I  shall  begin  to  think  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 
After  all,  why  need  one  live  for  anything  else  except 
the  present  ?  " 

"  There  is  the  Comtesse,"  he  reminded  her  discon- 
solately. 

She  sighed. 

"  How  horrid  of  you  !  " 

"  Let  us  forget  her,  then,"  he  begged.     "  We  will 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  237 

go  into  the  marquee  there  and  have  supper,  and 
afterwards  dance  again.  We'll  steal  to-night  out  of 
the  calendar.  We'll  call  it  ours  and  play  with  it  as 
we  please." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  No,"  she  decided,  "  you  have  reminded  me  of  our 
duty,  and  you  are  quite  right.  You  were  brought 
here  to  talk  to  the  Comtesse.  I  do  not  know  why, 
but  she  is  in  a  curiously  impenetrable  frame  of  mind. 
I  tried  hard  to  get  her  to  talk  to  me,  but  it  was 
useless  ;  you  must  see  what  you  can  do.  Fortunately, 
she  seems  to  be  absolutely  delighted  to  have  met  you 
again.     You  have  a  dance  with  her,  have  you  not?  "^ 

He  drew  out  his  programme  reluctantly. 

**  The  next  one,  too,"  he  sighed. 

Anna  rose  quickly  to  her  feet. 

"  How  absurd  of  me  to  forget !  Take  me  inside,, 
please,  and  go  and  look  for  her  at  once." 

"  It's  all  very  well,"  Norgate  grumbled,  "  but  the 
last  time  I  saw  her  she  was  about  three  deep  among^ 
the  notabilities.  I  really  don't  feel  that  I  ought  to 
jostle  dukes  and  ambassadors  to  claim  a  dance." 

"  You  must  not  be  so  foolish,"  Anna  insisted. 
"  The  Comtesse  cares  nothing  for  dukes  and  ambas- 
sadors, but  she  is  most  ridiculously  fond  of  good- 
looking  young  men.  Mind,  you  will  do  better  with 
her  if  you  speak  entirely  outside  all  of  us.  She  is  a 
very  peculiar  woman.  If  one  could  only  read  the 
secrets  she  has  stored  up  in  her  brain !  Sometimes 
she  is  so  lavish  with  them,  and  at  other  times,  and 
with  other  people,  it  seems  as  though  it  would  take 
an  earthquake  to   force  a   sentence  from  her  lips. 


238  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

There  she  is,  see,  in  that  comer.     Never  mind  the 
people  around  her.     Go  and  do  your  duty." 

Norgate  found  it  easier  than  he  had  expected. 
She  no  sooner  saw  him  coming  than  she  rose  to  her 
feet  and  welcomed  him.  She  laid  her  fingers  upon  his 
arm,  and  they  moved  awfiy  towards  the  ballroom. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  apologised,  "  that  I  am  rather 
an  intruder.  You  all  seemed  so  interested  in  listen- 
ing to  the  Duke." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  welcome  you  as  a  deliverer," 
she  declared.  "  I  have  heard  those  stories  so  often, 
and  worse  than  having  heard  them  is  the  necessity 
always  to  smile.  The  Duke  is  a  dear  good  person, 
and  he  has  been  exceedingly  kind  to  me  during  the 
whole  of  my  stay,  but  oh,  how  one  sometimes  does 
weary  oneself  of  this  London  of  yours !  Yet  I  love 
it.  Do  you  know  that  you  were  almost  the  first 
person  I  asked  for  when  I  arrived  here?  They  told 
me  that  you  were  in  Berlin." 

"  I  was,"  he  admitted.  "  I  am  in  the  act  of  being 
transferred." 

"  Fortunate  person ! "  she  murmured.  "  You 
speak  the  language  of  all  capitals,  but  I  cannot  fancy 
you  in  Berlin." 

They  had  reached  the  edge  of  the  ballroom.  He 
hesitated. 

"  Do  you  care  to  dance  or  shall  we  go  outside  and 
talk.?" 

She  smiled  at  him.  "Both,  may  we  not?  You 
dear,  discreet  person,  when  I  think  of  the  strange 
places  where  I  have  danced  with  you  —  Perhaps  it  is 
better  not  to  remember !  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  239 

They  moved  away  to  the  music  and  later  on  found 
their  way  into  the  garden.  The  Comtesse  was  a 
little  thoughtful. 

"  You  are  a  great  friend  of  Anna's,  are  you  not?  " 
she  enquired. 

"  We  are  engaged  to  be  married,"  he  answered 
simply. 

She  made  a  little  grimace. 

"  Ah ! "  she  sighed,  "  you  nice  men,  it  comes  to 
you  all.  You  amuse  yourselves  with  us  for  a  time, 
and  then  the  real  feeling  comes,  and  where  are  we? 
But  it  is  queer,  too,"  she  went  on  thoughtfully, 
"  that  Anna  should  marry  an  Englishman,  especially 
just  now." 

"Why  *  especially  just  now'?" 

The  Comtesse  evaded  the  question. 

"  Anna  seemed  always,"  she  said,  "  to  prefer  the 
men  of  her  own  country.  Oh,  what  music !  Shall 
we  have  one  turn  more,  Mr.  Francis  Norgate?  It  is 
the  waltz  they  played  —  but  who  could  expect  a  man 
to  remember !  " 

They  plunged  again  into  the  crowd  of  dancers. 
The  Comtesse  was  breathless  yet  exhilarated  when 
at  last  they  emerged. 

"  But  you  dance,  as  ever,  wonderfully ! "  she 
cried.  "  You  make  me  think  of  those  days  in  Paris. 
You  make  me  even  sad." 

"  They  remain,"  he  assured  her,  "  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  memories  of  my  life." 

She  patted  his  hand  affectionately.  Then  her 
tone  changed. 

"  Almost,"    she    declared,    "  you   have    driven    all 


240  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

other  things  out  of  my  mind.  What  is  it  that  Anna 
is  so  anxious  to  know  from  me?  You  are  in  her 
confidence,  she  tells  me." 

"  Entirely." 

**  That  again  is  strange,"  the  Comtesse  continued, 
**  when  one  considers  your  nationality,  yet  Anna  her- 
self has  assured  me  of  it.  Do  you  know  that  she  is 
a  person  whom  I  very  much  envy?  Her  life  is  so 
full  of  variety.  She  is  the  special  protegee  of 
the  Emperor.  No  woman  at  Vienna  is  more 
trusted." 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  Norgate  observed,  "  that  she  was 
altogether  satisfied  with  the  results  of  her  visit  to 
Rome." 

The  Comtesse's  fan  fluttered  slowly  back  and  forth. 
She  looked  for  a  moment  or  two  idly  upon  the  bril- 
liant scene.  The  smooth  garden  paths,  the  sheltered 
seats,  the  lawns  themselves,  were  crowded  with  little 
throngs  of  women  in  exquisite  toilettes,  men  in  uni- 
form and  Court  dress.  There  were  well-known 
faces  everywhere.  It  was  the  crowning  triumph  of 
a  wonderful  London  season. 

"  Anna's  was  a  very  difficult  mission,"  the 
Comtesse  pointed  out  confidentially.  "  There  is 
really  no  secret  about  these  matters.  The  whole 
world  knows  of  Italy's  position.  A  few  months 
ago,  at  the  time  of  what  you  call  the  Balkan  Crisis, 
Germany  pressed  us  very  hard  for  a  definite  assur- 
ance of  our  support,  under  any  conditions,  of  the 
Triple  Alliance.  I  remember  that  Andrea  was  three 
hours  with  the  King  that  day,  and  our  reply  was 
unacceptable  in  Berlin.     It  may  have  helped  to  keep 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  241 

the  peace.  One  cannot  tell.  The  Kaiser's  present 
letter  is  simply  a  repetition  of  his  feverish  attempt 
to  probe  our  intentions." 

"  But  at  present,"  Norgate  ventured,  "  there  is  no 
Balkan  Crisis." 

The  Comtesse  looked  at  him  lazily  out  of  the  cor- 
ners of  her  sleepy  eyes. 

"  Is  there  not.^*  "  she  asked  simply.  "  I  have  been 
away  from  Italy  for  a  week  or  so,  and  Andrea  trusts 
nothing  to  letters.  Yesterday  I  had  a  dispatch  beg- 
ging me  to  return.  I  go  to-morrow  morning.  I 
do  not  know  whether  it  is  because  of  the  pressure  of 
affairs,  or  because  he  wearies  himself  a  little  with- 
out me." 

"  One  might  easily  imagine  the  latter,"  Norgate 
remarked.  "  But  is  it  indeed  any  secret  to  you  that 
there  is  a  great  feeling  of  uneasiness  throughout 
the  Continent,  an  extraordinary  state  of  animation, 
a  bustle,  although  a  secret  bustle,  of  preparation  in. 
Germany  ?  " 

"  I  have  heard  rumours  of  this,"  the  Comtesse  con- 
fessed. 

"  When  one  bears  these  things  in  mind  and  looks 
a  little  into  the  future,"  Norgate  continued,  "  one 
might  easily  believe  that  the  reply  to  that  still  un- 
answered letter  of  the  Kaiser's  might  well  become 
historical." 

"  You  would  like  me,  would  you  not,"  she  asked, 
"  to  tell  you  what  that  reply  will  most  certainly 
be.?" 

"  Very  much !  " 

"  You  are  an  Englishman,"  she  remarked  thought- 


242  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

fully,  "  and  intriguing  with  Anna.  I  fear  that  I  do 
not  understand  the  position." 

"  Must  jou  understand  it?  " 

"  Perhaps  not,"  she  admitted.  "  It  really  mat- 
ters very  little.  I  will  speak  to  you  just  in  the  only 
way  I  can  speak,  as  a  private  individual.  I  tell  you 
that  I  do  not  believe  that  Andrea  will  ever,  under 
any  circumstances,  join  in  any  war  against  Eng- 
land, nor  any  war  which  has  for  its  object  the  crush- 
ing of  France.  In  his  mind  the  Triple  Alliance  was 
the  most  selfish  alliance  which  any  country  has  ever 
entered  into,  but  so  long  as  the  other  two  Powers 
understood  the  situation,  it  was  scarcely  Italy's  part 
to  point  out  the  fact  that  she  gained  everything  by 
it  and  risked  nothing.  Italy  has  sheltered  herself 
for  years  under  its  provisions,  but  neither  at  the 
time  of  signing  it,  nor  at  any  other  time,  has  she 
had  the  slightest  intention  of  joining  in  an  ag- 
gressive war  at  the  request  of  her  allies.  You  see, 
her  Government  felt  themselves  safe  —  and  I  think 
that  that  was  where  Andrea  was  so  clever  —  in 
promising  to  fulfil  their  obligations  in  case  of  an 
attack  by  any  other  Power  upon  Germany  or  Aus- 
tria, because  it  was  perfectly  certain  to  Andrea,  and 
to  every  person  of  common  sense,  that  no  such  ag- 
gressive attack  would  ever  be  made.  You  read  Aus- 
tria's demands  from  Servia  in  the  paper  this  mom- 
ing?" 

"  I  did,"  Norgate  admitted.  "  No  one  in  the 
world  could  find  them  reasonable." 

"  They  are  not  meant  to  be  reasonable,"  the 
Comtesse  pointed  out.     "  They  are  the  foundation 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  243 

from  which  the  world  quarrel  shall  spring.  Russia 
must  intervene  to  protect  Servia  from  their  hideous 
injustice.  Germany  and  Austria  will  throw  down 
the  gage.  Germany  may  be  right  or  she  may  be 
wrong,  but  she  believes  she  can  count  on  Great 
Britain's  neutrality.  She  needs  our  help  and  be- 
lieves she  will  get  it.  That  is  because  German  diplo- 
macy always  believes  that  it  is  going  to  get  what  it 
wants.  Now,  in  a  few  words,  I  will  tell  you  what 
the  German  Emperor  would  give  me  a  province  to 
know.  I  will  tell  you  that  no  matter  what  the  temp- 
tation, what  the  proffered  reward  may  be,  Italy  will 
not  join  in  this  war  on  the  side  of  Germany  and  Aus- 
tria." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Comtesse,"  Norgate  said  sim- 
ply, "  and  I  shall  respect  your  confidence." 

She  rose  and  laid  her  fingers  upon  his  arm. 

"  To  people  whom  I  like,"  she  declared,  "  I  speak 
frankly.  I  give  away  no  secrets.  I  say  what  I  be- 
live.  And  now  I  must  leave  you  for  a  much  subtler 
person  and  a  much  subtler  conversation.  Prince 
Herschfeld  is  waiting  to  talk  to  me.  Perhaps  he, 
too,  would  like  to  know  the  answer  which  will  go  to 
his  master,  but  how  can  I  tell?  " 

The  Ambassador  had  paused  before  them.  The 
Comtesse  rose  and  accepted  his  arm. 

"  I  shall  take  away  with  me  to-night  at  least 
two  charming  memories,"  she  assured  him,  as  she 
gathered  up  her  skirts.  **  My  two  dances,  Mr.  Nor- 
gate, have  been  delightful.  Now  I  am  equally  sure 
of  entertainment  of  another  sort  from  Prince  Hersch- 
feld." 


244  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

The  Prince  bowed. 

"  Ah !  madame,"  he  sighed,  "  it  is  so  hard  to  com- 
pete with  youth.  I  fear  that  the  feet  of  Mr.  Nor- 
gate  will  be  nimbler  than  my  brain  to-night." 

She  nodded  sympathetically. 

"  You  are  immersed  in  affairs,  of  course,"  she 
murmured.  "  Au  revoir,  Mr.  Norgate !  Give  my 
love  to  Anna.  Some  day  I  hope  that  I  shall  welcome 
you  both  in  Rome."      ^ 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

Norgate  pushed  his  way  through  a  confused  medley 
of  crates  which  had  just  been  unloaded  and  made  his 
way  up  the  warehouse  to  Selingman's  office.  Seling- 
man  was  engaged  for  a  few  minutes  but  presently 
opened  the  door  of  his  sanctum  and  called  his  visi- 
tor in. 

"  Well,  my  young  friend,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you 
have  brought  news?  Sit  down.  This  is  a  busy 
morning.  We  have  had  large  shipments  from  Ger- 
many. I  have  appointments  with  buyers  most  of 
the  day,  yet  I  can  talk  to  you  for  a  little  time.  You 
were  at  the  ball  last  night  ?  " 

"  I  was  permitted  to  escort  the  Baroness  von 
Haase,"  Norgate  replied. 

Selingman  nodded  ponderously. 

"  I  ask  you  no  questions,"  he  said.  "  The  Baron- 
ess works  on  a  higher  plane.  I  know  more  than 
3-0U  would  believe,  though.  I  know  why  the  dear 
lady  went  to  Rome ;  I  know  why  she  was  at  the  ball. 
I  know  in  what  respect  you  were  probably  able  to 
help  her.  But  I  ask  no  questions.  We  work  to- 
wards a  common  end,  but  we  work  at  opposite  ends 
of  the  pole.  Curiosity  alone  would  be  gratified  if 
you  were  to  tell  me  everything  that  transpired." 

"  You  keep  yourself  marvellously  well-informed  as 
to  most  things,  don't  you,  Mr.  Selingman?  "  Norgate 
remarked. 


246  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  Platitudes,  young  man,  platitudes,"  Selingman 
declared,  "  words  of  air.  What  purpose  have  they  ? 
You  know  who  I  am.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  thousand 
strings.  Any  one  that  I  pull  will  bring  an  answer- 
ing message  to  my  brain.  Come,  what  is  it  you  wish 
to  say  to  me?  " 

"  I  am  doing  my  work  for  you,"  Norgate  re- 
marked, "  and  doing  it  extraordinarily  well.  I  do 
not  object  to  a  certain  amount  of  surveillance,  but  I 
am  getting  fed  up  with  Boko." 

"  Who  the  hell  is  Boko?  "  Selingman  demanded. 

"  I  must  apologise,"  Norgate  replied.  "  A  nick- 
name only.  He  is  a  little  red-faced  man  who  looks 
like  a  children's  toy  and  changes  his  clothes  about 
seven  times  a  day.  He  is  with  me  from  the  moment 
I  rise  to  the  last  thing  at  night.  He  is  getting  on 
my  nerves.  I  am  fast  drifting  into  the  frame  of 
mind  when  one  looks  under  the  bed  before  one  can 
sleep." 

"  Young  man,"  Selingman  said,  "  a  month  ago  you 
were  a  person  of  no  importance.  To-day,  so  far 
as  I  am  concerned,  you  are  a  treasure-casket.  You 
hold  secrets.  You  have  a  great  value  to  us.  Every 
one  in  your  position  is  watched;  it  is  part  of  our 
system.  If  the  man  for  whom  you  have  found  so 
picturesque  a-  nickname  annoys  you,  he  shall  be 
changed.     That  is  the  most  I  can  promise  you." 

"  You  don't  trust  me  altogether,  then  ?  "  Nor- 
gate observed  coolly. 

Selingman  tapped  on  the  table  in  front  of  him 
with  his  pudgy  forefinger. 

"  Norgate,"    he    declared    solemnly,  "  trust    is    a 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  247 

personal  matter.  I  have  no  personal  feelings.  I 
am  a  machine.  All  the  work  I  do  is  done  by  machin- 
ery, the  machinery  of  thought,  the  machinery  of  ac- 
tion. These  are  the  only  means  by  which  sentiment 
can  be  barred  and  the  curious  fluctuations  of  human 
temperament  guarded  against.  If  you  were  my  son, 
or  if  you  had  dropped  straight  down  from  Heaven 
with  a  letter  of  introduction  from  the  proper  quar- 
ters, you  would  still  be  under  my  surveillance." 

"  That  seems  to  settle  the  matter,"  Norgate  con- 
fessed, "  so  I  suppose  I  mustn't  grumble.  Yours  is 
rather  a  bloodless  philosophy." 

"  Perhaps,"  Selingman  assented.  "  You  see  me  as 
I  sit  here,  a  merchant  of  crockery,  and  I  am  a  kind 
person.  If  I  saw  suffering,  I  should  pause  to  ease 
it.  If  a  wounded  insect  lay  in  my  path,  I  should 
step  out  of  my  way  to  avoid  it.  But  if  my  dear- 
est friend,  my  nearest  relation,  seemed  likely  to  me 
to  do  one  fraction  of  harm  to  the  great  cause,  I 
should  without  one  second's  compunction  arrange  for 
their  removal  as  inevitably,  and  with  as  little  hesi- 
tation, as  I  leave  this  place  at  one  o'clock  for  my 
luncheon." 

Norgate  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  One  apparently  runs  risks  in  serving  you,"  he 
remarked. 

"  What  risks  ?  "  Selingman  asked  keenly. 

"  The  risk  of  being  misunderstood,  of  making  mis- 
takes." 

"  Pooh !  "  Selingman  exclaimed.  "  I  do  not  like 
the  man  who  talks  of  risks.  Let  us  dismiss  this  con- 
versation.    I  have  work  for  you." 


248  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Norgate  assumed  a  more  interested  attitude, 
"  I  am  ready,"  he  said.  "  Go  on,  please." 
"  A  movement  is  on  foot,"  Selingman  proceeded, 
**  to  establish  manufactories  in  this  country  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  my  crockery.  A  very  large 
company  will  be  formed,  a  great  part  of  the  money 
towards  which  is  already  subscribed.  We  have  ex- 
amined several  sites  with  a  view  to  building  factories, 
but  I  have  not  cared  at  present  to  open  up  direct 
negotiations.  A  rumour  of  our  enterprise  is  about, 
and  the  price  of  the  land  we  require  would  advance 
considerably  if  the  prospective  purchaser  were 
known.  The  land  is  situated,  half  an  acre  at  Willes- 
den,  three-quarters  of  an  acre  at  Golder's  Hill,  and 
an  acre  at  Highgate.  I  wish  you  to  see  the  agents 
for  the  sale  of  these  properties.  I  have  ascertained 
indirectly  the  price,  which  you  will  find  against  each 
lot,  with  the  agent's  name,"  Selingman  continued, 
passing  across  a  folded  slip  of  foolscap.  "  You  will 
treat  in  your  own  name  and  pay  the  deposit  your- 
self. Try  and  secure  all  three  plots  to-day,  so  that 
the  lawyers  can  prepare  the  deeds  and  my  builder 
can  make  some  preparatory  plans  there  during  the 
week." 

Norgate  accepted  the  little  bundle  of  papers  with 
some  surprise.  Enclosed  with  them  was  a  thick  wad 
of  bank-notes. 

"  There  are  two  thousand  pounds  there  for  your 
deposits,"  Selingman  continued.  "  If  you  need  more, 
telephone  to  me,  but  understand  I  want  to  start  to 
work  laying  the  foundations  within  the  next  few 
(days." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  249 

"  I'll  do  the  best  I  can,"  Norgate  promised,  "  but 
this  is  rather  a  change  for  me,  isn't  it?  Will  Boko 
come  along?  " 

Selingman  smiled  for  a  moment,  but  immediately 
afterwards  his  face  was  almost  stern. 

"Young  man,"  he  said,  "  from  the  moment  you 
pledged  your  brains  to  my  service,  every  action  of 
your  day  has  been  recorded.  From  one  of  my  pigeon- 
holes I  could  draw  out  a  paper  and  tell  you  where 
you  lunched  yesterday,  where  you  dined  the  day  be- 
fore, whom  you  met  and  with  whom  you  talked,  and 
so  it  will  be  until  our  work  is  finished." 

"  So  long  as  I  know,"  Norgate  sighed,  rising  to 
his  feet,  "  I'll  try  to  get  used  to  him." 

Norgate  found  no  particular  difficulty  in  carrying 
out  the  commissions  entrusted  to  him.  The  sale  of 
land  is  not  an  everyday  affair,  and  he  found  the 
agents  exceedingly  polite  and  prompt.  The  man 
with  whom  he  arranged  the  purchase  of  about  three 
quarters  of  an  acre  of  building  land  at  Golder's 
Green,  on  the  conclusion  of  the  transaction  exhibited 
some  little  curiosity. 

"  Queer  thing,"  he  remarked,  "  but  I  sold  half  an 
acre,  a  month  or  two  ago,  to  a  man  who  came  very 
much  as  you  come  to-day.  Might  have  been  a  for- 
eigner. Said  he  was  going  to  put  up  a  factory  to 
make  boots  and  shoes.  He  is  not  going  to  start  to 
build  until  next  year,  but  he  wanted  a  very  solid 
floor  to  stand  heavy  machinery.     Look  here." 

The  agent  climbed  upon  a  pile  of  bricks,  and  Nor- 
gate followed  his  example.  There  was  a  boarded 
space  before  them,  with  scaffolding  poles  all  around, 


250  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

but  no  other  signs  of  building,  and  the  interior  con- 
sisted merely  of  a  perfectly  smooth  concrete  floor. 

"  That's  the  queerest  way  of  setting  about  build- 
ing a  factory  I  ever  saw,"  the  man  pointed  out. 

Norgate,  who  was  not  greatly  interested,  assented. 
The  agent  escorted  him  back  to  his  taxicab. 

"  Of  course,  it's  not  my  business,"  he  admitted, 
**  and  you  needn't  say  anything  about  this  to  your 
principals,  but  I  hope  they  don't  stop  with  laying 
down  concrete  floors.  Of  course,  money  for  the 
property  is  the  chief  thing  we  want,  but  we  do  want 
factories  and  the  employment  of  labour,  and  the 
sooner  the  better.  This  fellow  —  Reynolds,  he  said 
his  name  was  —  pays  up  for  the  property  all  right, 
has  that  concrete  floor  prepared,  and  clears  off." 

"  Raising  the  money  to  build,  perhaps,"  Norgate 
remarked.  "  I  don't  think  there's  any  secret  about 
my  people's  intentions.  They  are  going  to  build 
factories  for  the  manufacture  of  crockery." 

The  agent  brightened  up. 

*'  Well,  that's  a  new  industry,  anyway.  Crock- 
ery, eh  ?  " 

"  It's  a  big  German  firm  in  Cannon  Street,"  Nor- 
gate explained.  "  They  are  going  to  make  the  stuff 
here.     That  ought  to  be  better  for  our  people." 

The  young  man  nodded. 

"  I  expect  they're  afraid  of  tariff  reform,"  he  sug- 
gested. "  Those  Germans  see  a  long  way  ahead 
sometimes." 

"  I  am  beginning  to  believe  that  they  do,"  Nor- 
gate assented,  as  he  stepped  into  the  taxi. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

Norgate  walked  into  the  club  rather  late  that 
afternoon.  Selingman  and  Prince  Lenemaur  were 
talking  together  in  the  little  drawing-room.  They 
called  him  in,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  Prince  took 
his  leave. 

"  Well,  that's  all  arranged,"  Norgate  reported. 
"  I  have  bought  the  three  sites.  There  was  only  one 
thing  the  fellow  down  at  Golder's  Hill  was  anxious 
about." 

"And  that?" 

"  He  hoped  you  weren't  just  going  to  put  down 
a  concrete  floor  and  then  shut  the  place  up." 

Mr.  Selingman's  amiable  imperturbability  was  for 
once  disturbed. 

"  What  did  the  fellow  mean  ?  "  he  enquired. 

"  Haven't  an  idea,"  Norgate  replied,  "  but  he 
made  me  stand  on  a  pile  of  bricks  and  look  at  a 
strip  of  land  which  some  one  else  had  bought  upon 
a  hill  close  by.  I  suppose  they  want  the  factories 
built  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  work-people  around 
the  place." 

"  I  shall  have  two  hundred  men  at  work  to-mor- 
row morning,"  Selingman  remarked.  "  If  that  agent 
had  not  been  a  very  ignorant  person,  he  would  have 
known  that  a  concrete  floor  is  a  necessity  to  any  fac- 
tory where  heavy  machinery  is  used." 


252  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

'*  Is  it?  "  Norgate  asked  simply. 

"  Any  other  question?  "  Selingman  demanded. 

"  None  at  all." 

'*  Then  we  will  go  and  play  bridge." 

They  cut  into  the  same  rubber.  Selingman,  how- 
ever, was  not  at  first  entirely  himself.  He  played 
his  cards  in  silence,  and  he  once  very  nearly  revoked. 
Mrs.  Benedek  took  him  to  task. 

"  Dear  man,"  she  said,  "  we  rely  upon  you  so 
much,  and  to-day  you  fail  to  amuse  us.  What  is 
there  upon  your  mind?  Let  us  console  you,  if  we 
can." 

"  Dear  lady,  it  is  nothing,"  Selingman  assured  her. 
**  My  company  is  planning  big  developments  in  con- 
nection with  our  business.  The  details  afford  me 
much  food  for  thought.  My  attention,  I  fear,  some- 
times wanders.  Forgive  me,  I  will  make  amends. 
When  the  day  comes  that  my  new  factories  start 
work,  I  will  give  such  a  party  as  was  never  seen.  I 
will  invite  you  all.  We  will  have  a  celebration  that 
every  one  shall  talk  of.  And  meanwhile,  behold!  I 
will  wander  no  longer.     I  declare  no  trumps." 

Selingman  for  a  time  was  himself  again.  When 
he  cut  out,  however,  he  fidgeted  a  little  restlessly 
around  the  room  and  watched  Norgate  share  the 
same  fate  with  an  air  of  relief.  He  laid  his  hand 
upon  the  latter's  arm. 

"  Come  into  the  other  room,  Norgate,"  he  invited. 
*'  I  have  something  to  say  to  you." 

Norgate  obeyed  at  once,  but  the  room  was  al- 
ready occupied.  A  little  blond  lady  was  entertain- 
ing a  soldier  friend  at  tea.     She  withdrew  her  head 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  253 

from  somewhat  suspicious  proximity  to  her  compan- 
ion's at  their  entrance  and  greeted  Selingman  with 
innocent  surprise. 

"  How  queer  that  you  should  come  in  just  then, 
Mr.  Sehngman !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  We  were  talking 
about  Germany,  Captain  Fielder  and  I." 

Selingman  beamed  upon  them  both.  He  was  en- 
tirely himself  again.  He  looked  as  though  the  one 
thing  in  life  he  had  desired  was  to  find  Mrs.  Bar- 
low and  her  military  companion  in  possession  of  the 
little  drawing-room. 

"  My  country  is  flattered,"  he  declared,  "  espe- 
cially," he  added,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "  as  the 
subject  seemed  to  be  proving  so  interesting." 

She  made  a  little  grimace  at  him. 

"  Seriously,  Mr.  Selingman,"  she  continued,  "  Cap- 
tain Fielder  and  I  have  been  almost  quarrelling.  He 
insists  upon  it  that  some  day  or  other  Germany 
means  to  declare  war  upon  us.  I  have  been  trying 
to  point  out  that  before  many  years  have  passed 
England  and  France  will  have  drifted  apart.  Ger- 
many is  the  nearest  to  us  of  the  continental  nations, 
isn't  she,  by  relationship  and  race?" 

"  Mrs.  Barlow,"  Selingman  pronounced,  "  yours  is 
the  most  sensible  allusion  to  international  politics 
which  I  have  heard  for  many  years.  You  are  right. 
If  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  so,"  he  added,  "  Cap- 
tain Fielder  is  wrong.  Germany  has  no  wish  to  fight 
with  any  one.  The  last  country  in  the  world  with 
whom  she  would  care  to  cross  swords  is  England.'* 

"  If  Germany  does  not  wish  for  war,"  Captain 
Fielder    persisted,    "  why    does    she    keep    such    an 


254  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

extraordinary  army?  Why  does  she  continually  add 
to  her  navy?  Why  does  she  infest  our  country  with 
spies  and  keep  all  her  preparations  as  secret  as  possi- 
ble? " 

"  Of  these  things  I  know  little,"  Selingman  con- 
fessed, "  I  am  a  manufacturer,  and  I  have  few  friends 
among  the  military  party.  But  this  we  all  believe, 
and  that  is  that  the  German  army  and  navy  are  our 
insurance  against  trouble  from  the  east.  They  are 
there  so  that  in  case  of  political  controversy  we  shall 
have  strength  at  our  back  when  we  seek  to  make 
favourable  terms.  As  to  using  that  strength,  God 
forbid!" 

The  little  lady  threw  a  triumphant  glance  across 
at  her  companion. 

"  There,  Captain  Fielder,"  she  declared,  "  you  have 
heard  what  a  typical,  well-informed,  cultivated  Ger- 
man gentleman  has  to  say.  I  rely  much  more  upon 
Mr.  Selingman  than  upon  any  of  the  German  reviews 
or  official  statements  of  policy." 

Captain  Fielder  was  bluntly  unconvinced. 

"  Mr.  Selingman,  without  doubt,"  he  agreed,  "  may 
represent  popular  and  cultivated  German  opinion. 
The  only  thing  is  whether  the  policy  of  the  country 
is  dictated  by  that  class.  Do  you  happen  to  have 
seen  the  afternoon  papers?  " 

"  Not  yet,"  Mr.  Selingman  admitted.  "  Is  there 
any  news?  " 

"  There  is  the  full  text,"  Captain  Fielder  contin- 
ued, "  of  Austria's  demands  upon  Servia.  I  may 
be  wrong,  but  I  say  confidently  that  those  demands, 
which  are  impossible  of  acceptance,  which  would  re- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  255 

duce  Servia,  in  fact,  to  the  condition  of  a  mere  vas- 
sal state,  are  intended  to  provoke  a  state  of 
war." 

Mr.  Selingman  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  seen  the  proposals,"  he  remarked. 
"  They  were  in  the  second  edition  of  the  morning 
papers.  They  are  onerous,  without  a  doubt,  but 
remember  that  as  you  go  further  east,  all  diplomacy 
becomes  a  matter  of  barter.  They  ask  for  so  much 
first  because  they  are  prepared  to  take  a  great  deal 
less." 

"  It  is  my  opinion,"  Captain  Fielder  pronounced, 
"  that  these  demands  are  couched  with  the  sole  idea 
of  inciting  Russia's  intervention.  There  is  already 
a  report  that  Servia  has  appealed  to  St.  Petersburg. 
It  is  quite  certain  that  Russia,  as  the  protector  of 
the  Slav  nations,  can  never  allow  Servia  to  be  hum- 
bled to  this  extent." 

"  Even  then,"  Mr.  Selingman  protested  good- 
humouredly,  "  Austria  is  not  Germany." 

"  There  are  very  few  people,"  Captain  Fielder 
continued,  "  who  do  not  realise  that  Austria  is  act- 
ing exactly  as  she  is  bidden  by  Germany.  To-mor- 
row you  will  find  that  Russia  has  intervened.  If 
Vienna  disregards  her,  there  will  be  mobilisation  along 
the  frontiers.  It  is  my  private  and  very  firm  im- 
pression that  Germany  is  mobilising  to-day,  and  se- 
cretly." 

Mr.  Selingman  laughed  good-humouredly. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  said,  "  let  us  hope  it  is  not  quite 
so  bad  as  that." 

"  You  are  frightening  me,  Captain  Fielder,"  Mrs. 


256  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Barlow  declared.  "  I  am  going  to  take  you  off  to 
play  bridge." 

They  left  the  room.  Selingman  looked  after  them 
a  little  curiously. 

"  Your  military  friend,"  he  remarked,  "  is  rather 
a  pessimist." 

"  Well,  we  haven't  many  of  them,"  Norgate  re- 
plied. "  Nine  people  out  of  ten  believe  that  a  war  is 
about  as  likely  to  come  as  an  earthquake." 

Selingman  glanced  towards  the  closed  door. 

*'  Supposing,"  he  said,  dropping  his  voice  a  little, 
"  supposing  I  were  to  tell  you,  young  man,  that  I  en- 
tirely agreed  with  your  friend?  Supposing  I  were 
to  tell  you  that,  possibly  by  accident,  he  has  stumbled 
upon  the  exact  truth?     What  would  you  say  then?  " 

Norgate  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

*'  Well,"  he  observed,  "  we've  agreed,  haven't  we, 
that  a  little  lesson  would  be  good  for  England?  It 
might  as  well  come  now  as  at  any  other  time." 

"  It  will  not  come  yet,"  Mr.  Selingman  went  on, 
"  but  I  will  tell  you  what  is  going  to  happen." 

His  voice  had  fallen  almost  to  a  whisper,  his  man- 
ner had  become  portentous. 

"  Within  a  week  or  two,"  he  said,  "  Germany  and 
Austria  will  have  declared  war  upon  Russia  and 
Servia  and  France.  Italy  will  j  oin  the  allies  —  that 
you  yourself  know.  As  for  England,  her  time  has 
not  come  yet.  We  shall  keep  her  neutral.  All  the 
recent  information  which  we  have  collected  makes  it 
clear  that  she  is  not  in  a  position  to  fight,  even  if  she 
wished  to.  Nevertheless,  to  make  a  certainty  of  it, 
we  shall  offer  her  great  inducements.     We  shall  be 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  257 

ready  to  deal  with  her  when  Calais,  Ostend,  Boulogne, 
and  Havre  are  held  by  our  armies.  Now  listen,  do 
you  flinch?  " 

The  two  men  were  still  standing  in  the  middle  of 
the  room.  Selingman's  brows  were  lowered,  his  eyes 
W€re  keen  and  hard-set.  He  had  gripped  Norgate 
by  the  left  shoulder  and  held  him  with  his  face  to  the 
light. 

"  Speak  up,"  he  insisted.  "  It  is  now  or  never, 
if  you  mean  to  go  through  with  this.  You're  not 
funking  it,  eh  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  Norgate  declared. 

For  the  space  of  almost  thirty  seconds  Selingman 
did  not  remove  his  gaze.  All  the  time  his  hand  was 
like  a  vice  upon  Norgate's  shoulder. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said  at  last,  "  you  represent  rather 
a  gamble  on  my  part,  but  I  am  not  afraid  of  the 
throw.  Come  back  to  our  bridge  now.  It  was  just 
a  moment's  impulse  —  I  saw  something  in  your  face. 
You  realise,  I  suppose  —  but  there,  I  won't  threaten 
you.  Come  back  and  we'll  drink  a  mixed  vermouth 
together.  The  next  few  days  are  going  to  be  rather 
a  strain." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

Norgate's  expression  was  almost  one  of  stupefac- 
tion. He  looked  at  the  slim  young  man  who  had 
entered  his  sitting-room  a  little  diffidently  and  for 
a  moment  he  was  speechless. 

"  Well,  I'm  hanged ! "  he  murmured  at  last. 
"  Hardy,  you  astonish  me !  " 

"  The  clothes  are  a  perfect  fit,  sir,"  the  man  ob- 
served, "  and  I  think  that  we  are  exactly  the  same 
height." 

Norgate  took  a  cigarette  from  an  open  box, 
tapped  it  against  the  table  and  lit  it.  He  was  fas- 
cinated, however,  by  the  appearance  of  the  man  who 
stood  respectfully  in  the  background. 

"  Talk  about  clothes  making  the  man ! "  he  ex- 
claimed. *'  Why,  Hardy,  do  you  reaHse  your  possi- 
bilities? You  could  go  into  my  club  and  dine,  order 
jewels  from  my  jeweller.  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that 
you  couldn't  take  my  place  at  a  dinner-party." 

The  man  smiled  deprecatingly. 

"  Not  quite  that,  I  am  sure,  sir.  If  I  may  be  al- 
lowed to  say  so,  though,  when  you  were  good  enough 
to  give  me  the  blue  serge  suit  a  short  time  ago,  and 
a  few  of  your  old  straw  hats,  two  or  three  gentlemen 
stopped  me  under  the  impression  that  I  was  you.  I 
should  not  have  mentioned  it,  sir,  but  for  the  present 
circumstances." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  259 

'*  And  no  wonder !  "  Norgate  declared.  "  If  this 
weren't  really  a  serious  affair,  Hardy,  I  should  be 
inclined  to  make  a  little  humorous  use  of  you. 
That  isn't  what  I  want  now,  though.  Listen.  Put 
on  one  of  my  black  overcoats  and  a  silk  hat,  get  the 
man  to  call  you  a  taxi  up  to  the  door,  and  drive  to 
Smith's  Hotel.  You  will  enquire  for  the  suite  of 
the  Baroness  von  Haase.  The  Baroness  will  allow 
you  to  remain  in  her  rooms  for  half  an  hour.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  you  will  return  here,  change 
your  clothes,  and  await  any  further  orders." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  the  man  replied. 

"  Help  yourself  to  cigarettes,"  Norgate  invited, 
passing  the  box  across.  "  Do  the  thing  properly. 
Sit  well  back  in  the  taxicab,  although  I'm  hanged  if 
I  think  that  my  friend  Boko  stands  an  earthly. 
Plenty  of  money  in  your  pocket.'' " 

"  Plenty,  thank  you,  sir." 

The  man  left  the  room,  and  Norgate,  after  a  brief 
delay,  followed  his  example.  A  glance  up  and  down 
the  courtyard  convinced  him  that  Boko  had  disap- 
peared. He  jumped  into  a  taxi,  gave  an  address 
in  Belgrave  Square,  and  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt, 
who  was  seated  at  a  writing-table  covered  with 
papers. 

"  Mr.  Norgate,  isn't  it  ? "  the  latter  remarked 
briskly.  "  I  had  Mr.  Hebblethwaite's  note,  and  I 
am  very  pleased  to  give  you  five  minutes.  Sit  down, 
won't  you,  and  fire  away." 

"  Did  ]Mr.  Hebblethwaite  give  you  any  idea  as  to 
what  I  wanted.''  "  Norgate  asked. 


26o  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

*'  Better  read  his  note,"  the  other  rephed,  pushing 
it  across  the  table  with  a  httle  smile. 
Norgate  took  it  up  and  read :  — 

"  My  dear  Spencer  Wyatt, 

"  A  young  friend  of  mine,  Francis  Norgate,  who  has 
been  in  the  Diplomatic  Service  for  some  years  and  is 
home  just  now  from  Berlin  under  circumstances  which 
you  may  remember,  has  asked  me  to  give  him  a  line  of 
introduction  to  you  which  will  secure  him  an  interview 
during  to-day.  Here  is  that  line.  Norgate  is  a  young 
man  for  whom  I  have  a  great  friendship.  I  consider 
him  possessed  of  unusual  intelligence  and  many  de- 
lightful gifts,  but,  like  many  others  of  us,  he  is  a  crank. 
You  can  listen  with  interest  to  anything  he  may  have 
to  say  to  you,  unless  he  speaks  of  Germany.  That's  his 
weak  point.  On  any  other  subject  he  is  as  sane  as  the 
best  of  us. 

"  Many  thanks.     Certainly  I  am  coming  to  the  Re- 
view.    We  are  all  looking  forward  to  it  immensely. 
"  Ever  yours, 

"  John  W.  Hebblethwaite." 

Norgate  set  down  the  letter. 

"  There  are  two  points  of  view,  Mr.  Spencer 
Wyatt,"  he  said,  "  as  to  Germany.  Mr.  Hebble- 
thwaite believes  that  I  am  an  alarmist.  I  know  that 
I  am  not.  This  isn't  any  ordinary  visit  of  mine. 
I  have  come  to  see  you  on  the  most  urgent  matter 
which  any  one  could  possibly  conceive.  I  have  come 
to  give  you  the  chance  to  save  our  country  from  the 
worst  disaster  that  has  ever  befallen  her." 

Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt  looked  at  his  visitor  steadily. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  261 

His  eyebrows  had  drawn  a  little  closer  together. 
He  remained  silent,  however. 

"  I  talk  about  the  things  I  know  of,"  Norgate  con- 
tinued. *'  By  chance  I  have  been  associated  during 
the  last  few  weeks  with  the  head  of  the  German  spies 
who  infest  this  country.  I  have  joined  his  ranks; 
I  have  become  a  double  traitor.  I  do  his  work,  but 
every  report  I  hand  in  is  a  false  one." 

"  Do  you  realise  quite  what  you  are  saying,  Mr. 
Norgate  ?  " 

"Realise  it.''"  Norgate  repeated.  "My  God! 
Do  you  think  I  come  here  to  say  these  things  to  you 
for  dramatic  effect,  or  from  a  sense  of  humour,  or 
as  a  lunatic?  Every  word  I  shall  say  to  you  is  the 
truth.  At  the  present  moment  there  isn't  a  soul  who 
seriously  believes  that  England  is  going  to  be  drawn 
into  what  the  papers  describe  as  a  little  eastern 
trouble.  I  want  to  tell  you  that  that  little  eastern 
trouble  has  been  brought  about  simply  with  the  idea 
of  provoking  a  European  war.  Germany  is  ready  to 
strike  at  last,  and  this  is  her  moment.  Not  a  fort- 
night ago  I  sat  opposite  the  boy  Henriote  in  a  cafe 
in  Soho.  ]\Iy  German  friend  handed  him  the  money 
to  get  back  to  his  country  and  to  buy  bombs.  It's 
all  part  of  the  plot.  Austria's  insane  demands  are 
part  of  the  plot;  they  are  meant  to  drag  Russia  in. 
Russia  must  protest ;  she  must  mobilise.  Germany  is 
secretly  mobilising  at  this  moment.  She  will  declare 
war  against  Russia,  strike  at  France  through  Bel- 
gium.     She  will  appeal  to  us  for  our  neutrality." 

"  These  are  wonderful  things  you  are  saying,  Mr. 
Norgate ! " 


262  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I  am  telling  you  the  simple  truth,"  Norgate  went 
on,  "  and  the  history  of  our  country  doesn't  hold  any- 
thing more  serious  or  more  wonderful.  Shall  I  come 
straight  to  the  point?  I  promised  to  reach  it  within 
five  minutes."  )/ 

"  Take  your  own  time,"  the  other  replied.  "  My 
work  is  unimportant  enough  by  the  side  of  the 
things  you  speak  of.  You  honestly  believe  that 
Germany  is  provoking  a  war  against  Russia  and 
France?  " 

"  I  know  it,"  Norgate  went  on.  "  She  believes  — 
Germany  believes  —  that  Italy  will  come  in.  She 
also  believes,  from  false  information  that  she  has 
gathered  in  this  country,  that  under  no  circumstances 
will  England  fight.  It  isn't  about  that  I  came  to 
you.  We've  become  a  slothful,  slack,  pleasure-loving 
people,  but  I  still  believe  that  when  the  time  comes 
we  shall  fight.  The  only  thing  is  that  we  shall  be 
taken  at  a  big  disadvantage.  We  shall  be  open  to 
a  raid  upon  our  fleet.  Do  you  know  that  the  entire 
German  navy  is  at  Kiel  ?  " 

Mr.  Wyatt  nodded.     "  Manoeuvres,"  he  murmured. 

*'  Their  manoeuvre,"  Norgate  continued  earnestly, 
**  is  to  strike  one  great  blow  at  our  scattered  forces. 
Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt,  I  have  come  here  to  warn  you. 
I  don't  understand  the  workings  of  your  department. 
I  don't  know  to  whom  you  are  responsible  for  any 
step  you  might  take.  But  I  have  come  to  warn  you 
that  possibly  within  a  few  days,  probably  within  a 
week,  certainly  within  a  fortnight,  England  will  be 
at  war." 

Mr.  Wyatt  glanced  down  at  Hebblethwaite's  letter. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  263 

"  You  are  rather  taking  my  breath  away,  Mr.  Nor- 
gate ! " 

"  I  can't  help  it,  sir,"  Norgate  said  simply.  "  I 
know  that  what  I  am  telling  you  must  sound  like  a 
fairy  tale.  I  beg  you  to  take  it  from  me  as  the 
truth." 

"  But,"  Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt  remarked,  "  if  you 
have  come  into  all  this  information,  Mr.  Norgate, 
why  didn't  you  go  to  your  friend  Hebblethwaite.'* 
Why  haven't  you  communicated  with  the  police  and 
given  this  German  spy  of  yours  into  charge.''  " 

"  I  have  been  to  Hebblethwaite,  and  I  have  been 
to  Scotland  Yard,"  Norgate  told  him  firmly,  "  and 
aU  that  I  have  got  for  my  pains  has  been  a  snub. 
They  won't  believe  in  German  spies.  Mr.  Wyatt, 
you  are  a  man  of  a  little  different  temperament  and 
calibre  from  those  others.  I  tell  you  that  all  of 
them  in  the  Cabinet  have  their  heads  thrust  deep 
down  into  the  sand.  They  won't  listen  to  me.  They 
wouldn't  believe  a  word  of  what  I  am  saying  to  you, 
but  it's  true." 

INIr.  Spencer  Wyatt  leaned  back  in  his  chair.  He 
had  folded  his  arms.  He  was  looking  over  the  top 
of  his  desk  across  the  room.  His  eyebrows  were 
knitted,  his  thoughts  had  wandered  away.  For  sev- 
eral moments  there  was  silence.  Then  at  last  he 
rose  to  his  feet,  unlocked  the  safe  which  stood  by  his 
side,  and  took  out  a  solid  chart  dotted  in  many 
places  with  little  flags,  each  one  of  which  bore  the 
name  of  a  ship.     He  looked  at  it  attentively. 

"  That's  the  position  of  every  ship  we  own,  at  six 
o'clock  this  evening,"  he  pointed  out.     "  It's  true  we 


264  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

are  scattered.  We  are  purposely  scattered  because 
of  the  Review.  On  Monday  morning  I  go  down  to 
the  Admiralty,  and  I  give  the  word.  Every  ship 
you  see  represented  by  those  little  flags,  moves  in  one 
direction." 

"  In  other  words,"  Norgate  remarked,  "  it  is  a 
mobilisation." 

"  Exactly ! " 

Norgate  leaned  forward  in  his  chair. 

"  You're  coming  to  what  I  want  to  suggest,"  he 
proceeded.  "  Listen.  You  can  do  it,  if  you  like. 
Go  down  to  the  Admiralty  to-night.  Give  that  order. 
Set  the  wireless  going.     Mobilise  the  fleet  to-night." 

Mr.  Wyatt  looked  steadfastly  at  his  companion. 
His  fingers  were  restlessly  stroking  his  chin,  his  eyes 
seemed  to  be  looking  through  his  visitor. 

"  But  it  would  be  a  week  too  soon,"  he  muttered. 

"  Risk  it,"  Norgate  begged.  "  You  have  always 
the  Review  to  fall  back  upon.  The  mobilisation,  to 
be  effective,  should  be  unexpected.  Mobilise  to-mor- 
row. I  am  telling  you  the  truth,  sir,  and  you'll 
know  it  before  many  days  are  passed.  Even  if  I 
have  got  hold  of  a  mare's  nest,  you  know  there's 
trouble  brewing.  England  will  be  in  none  the  worse 
position  to  intervene  for  peace,  if  her  fleet  is  ready 
to  strike." 

Mr.  Spencer  Wyatt  rose  to  his  feet.  He  seemed 
somehow  an  altered  man. 

"  Look  here,"  he  announced  gravely,  "  I  am  going 
for  the  gamble.  If  I  have  been  misled,  there  will 
probably  be  an  end  of  my  career.  I  tell_you  frankly, 
I  believe  in  you.     I  believe  in  the  truth  of  the  things 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  265 

joxi  talk  about.  I  risked  everything,  only  a  few 
weeks  ago,  on  my  belief.  I'll  risk  my  whole  career 
now.  Keep  your  mouth  shut ;  don't  say  a  word. 
Until  to-morrow  you  will  be  the  only  man  in  Eng- 
land who  knows  it.  I  am  going  to  mobilise  the  fleet 
to-night.  Shake  hands,  Mr.  Norgate.  You're 
either  the  best  friend  or  the  worst  foe  I've  ever  had. 
My  coat  and  hat,"  he  ordered  the  servant  who  an- 
swered his  summons.  "  Tell  your  mistress,  if  she 
enquires,  that  I  have  gone  down  to  the  Admiralty  on. 
special  business."      . 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

Anna  passed  her  hand  through  Norgate's  arm  and 
led  him  forcibly  away  from  the  shop  window  before 
which  they  had  been  standing. 

"  My  mind  is  absolutely  made  up,"  she  declared 
firmly.  '*  I  adore  shopping,  I  love  Bond  Street,  and 
I  rather  like  you,  but  I  will  have  no  more  trifles,  as 
you  call  them.  If  you  do  not  obey,  I  shall  gaze  into 
the  next  tobacconist's  window  we  pass,  and  go  in 
and  buy  you  all  sorts  of  unsmokable  and  unusable 
things.  And,  oh,  dear,  here  is  the  Count!  I  feel 
like  a  child  who  has  played  truant  from  school. 
What  will  he  do  to  me,  Francis  ?  " 

"  Don't  worry,  dear,"  Norgate  laughed.  "  We're 
coming  to  the  end  of  this  tutelage,  you  know." 

Count  Lanyoki,  who  had  stopped  his  motor-car, 
came  across  the  street  towards  them.  He  was,  as 
usual,  irreproachably  attired.  He  wore  white 
gaiters,  patent  shoes,  and  a  grey,  tall  hat.  His 
black  hair,  a  little  thin  at  the  forehead,  was  brushed 
smoothly  back.  His  moustache,  also  black  but 
streaked  with  grey,  was  twisted  upwards.  He  had, 
as  always,  the  air  of  having  just  left  the  hands  of 
his  valet. 

"  Dear  Baroness,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  accosted 
her,  "  London  has  been  searched  for  you !  At  the 
Embassy  my   staff  are   reduced  to   despair.     Tele- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  267 

phones,  notes,  telegrams,  and  personal  calls  have 
been  in  vain.  Since  lunch-time  yesterday  it  seemed 
to  us  that  you  must  have  found  some  other  sphere 
in  which  to  dwell." 

"  Perhaps  I  have,"  Anna  laughed.  "  I  am  so 
sorry  to  have  given  you  all  this  trouble,  but  yester- 
day —  well,  let  me  introduce,  if  I  may,  my  husband, 
Mr.  Francis  Norgate.  We  were  married  by  special 
license  yesterday  afternoon." 

The  Count's  amazement  was  obvious.  Diplomatist 
though  he  was,  it  was  several  seconds  before  he  could 
coUect  himself  and  rise  to  the  situation.  H^  broke 
off  at  last,  however,  in  the  midst  of  a  string  of  inter- 
jections and  realised  his  duties. 

"  My  dear  Baroness,"  he  said,  **  my  dear  lady,  let 
me  wish  you  every  happiness.  And  you,  sir,"  he 
added,  turning  to  Norgate,  *'  you  must  have,  with- 
out a  doubt,  my  most  hearty  congratulations. 
There !  That  is  said.  And  now  to  more  serious 
matters.  Baroness,  have  you  not  always  considered 
yourself  the  ward  of  the  Emperor.''  " 

She  nodded. 

"  His  Majesty  has  been  very  kind  to  me,"  she  ad- 
mitted. *'  At  the  same  time,  I  feel  that  I  owe  more 
to  myself  than  I  do  to  him.  His  first  essay  at  inter- 
fering in  my  affairs  was  scarcely  a  happy  one,  was 
it?  " 

"  Perhaps  not,"  the  Count  replied.  "  And  yet, 
think  what  you  have  done!  You  have  married  an 
Englishman ! " 

"  I  thought  English  people  were  quite  popular  in 
Vienna,"  Anna  reminded  him. 


268  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

The  Count  hesitated.  "  That,"  he  declared,  "  is 
scarcely  the  question.  What  troubles  me  most  is 
that  forty-eight  hours  ago  I  brought  you  a  dispatch 
from  the  Emperor." 

"  You  brought,"  Anna  pointed  out,  "  what  really 
amounted  to  an  order  to  return  at  once  to  Vienna. 
Well,  you  see,  I  have  disobeyed  it." 

They  were  standing  at  the  comer  of  Clifford 
Street,  and  the  Count,  with  a  little  gesture,  led  the 
way  into  the  less  crowded  thoroughfare. 

"  Dear  Baroness,"  he  continued,  as  they  walked 
slowly  along,  "  I  am  placed  now  in  a  most  extraordi- 
nary position.  The  Emperor's  telegram  was  of  seri- 
ous import.  It  cannot  be  that  you  mean  to  disobey 
his  summons  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  really  couldn't  put  off  being  married, 
could  I,"  Anna  protested,  "  especially  when  my  hus- 
band had  just  got  the  special  license.  Besides,  I  do 
not  wish  to  return  to  Vienna  just  now." 

The  Count  glanced  at  Norgate  and  appeared  to 
deliberate  for  a  moment. 

"  The  state  of  affairs  in  the  East,"  he  said,  "  is 
such  that  it  is  certainly  wiser  for  every  one  just  now 
to  be  within  the  borders  of  their  own  country." 

"  You  believe  that  things  are  serious  ?  "  Anna  en- 
quired. "  You  believe,  then,  that  real  trouble  is  at 
hand.?  " 

"  I  fear  so,"  the  Count  acknowledged.  "  It  ap- 
pears to  us  that  Servia  has  a  secret  understanding 
with  Russia,  or  she  would  not  have  ventured  upon 
such  an  attitude  as  she  is  now  adopting  towards  us. 
If  that  be  so,  the  possibilities  of  trouble  are  immense, 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  269 

almost  boundless.  That  is  why,  Baroness,  the  Em- 
peror has  sent  for  you.  That  is  why  I  think  you 
should  not  hesitate  to  at  once  obey  his  summons." 

Anna  looked  up  at  her  companion,  her  eyes  wide 
open,  a  little  smile  parting  her  lips. 

"  But,  Count,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  seem  to  for- 
get !  A  few  days  ago,  all  that  you  say  to  me  was 
reasonable  enough,  but  to-day  thera  is  a  great  differ- 
ence, is  there  not?  I  have  married  an  Englishman. 
Henceforth  this  is  my  country." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  The  Count  seemed 
dumbfounded.  He  stared  at  Anna  as  though  unable 
to  grasp  the  meaning  of  her  words. 

"  Forgive  me.  Baroness !  "  he  begged.  "  I  cannot 
for  the  moment  realise  the  significance  of  this  thing. 
Do  3'^ou  mean  me  to  understand  that  you  consider 
yourself  now  an  Englishwoman?  " 

"  I  do  indeed,"  she  assented.  "  There  are  many 
ties  which  still  bind  me  to  Austria  —  ties,  Count," 
she  proceeded,  looking  him  in  the  face,  "  of  which  I 
shall  be  mindful.  Yet  I  am  not  any  longer  the 
Baroness  von  Haase.  I  am  Mrs.  Francis  Norgate, 
and  I  have  promised  to  obey  my  husband  in  all  man- 
ner of  ridiculous  things.  At  the  same  time,  may  I 
add  something  which  will,  perhaps,  help  you  to  ac- 
cept the  position  with  more  philosophy?  My  hus- 
band is  a  friend  of  Herr  Selingman's." 

The  Count  glanced  quickly  towards  Norgate. 
There  was  some  relief  in  his  face  —  a  great  deal  of 
distrust,  however. 

"  Baroness,"  he  said,  "  my  advice  to  you,  for  your 
own  good  entirely,  is,  with  all  respect  to  your  hus- 


270  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

band,  that  jou  shorten  your  honeymoon  and  pay 
your  respects  to  the  Emperor.  I  think  that  you  owe 
it  to  him.     I  think  that  you  owe  it  to  your  country." 

Anna  for  a  moment  was  grave  again. 

"  Just  at  present,"  she  pronounced,  "  I  realise  one 
debt  only,  and  that  is  to  my  husband.  I  will  come 
to  the  Embassy  to-morrow  and  dfscuss  these  mat- 
ters with  you,  Count,  but  whether  my  husband  ac- 
companies me  or  not,  I  have  now  no  secrets  from 
him." 

"  The  position,  then,"  the  Count  declared,  "  is  in- 
tolerable. May  I  ask  whether  you  altogether  realise. 
Baroness,  what  this  means .^^  The  Emperor  is  your 
guardian.  All  your  estates  are  subject  to  his  juris- 
diction. It  is  his  command  that  you  return  to 
Vienna." 

Anna  laughed  again.  She  passed  her  fingers 
through  Norgate's  arm. 

"  You  see,"  she  explained,  as  they  stood  for  a  mo- 
ment at  the  corner  of  the  street,  "  I  have  a  new  em- 
peror now,  and  he  will  not  let  me  go." 

Selingman  frowned  a  little  as  he  recognised  his 
visitor.  Nevertheless,  he  rose  respectfully  to  his 
feet  and  himself  placed  a  chair  by  the  side  of  his 
desk. 

"  My  dear  Count !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  am  very 
glad  to  see  you,  but  this  is  an  unusual  visit.  I  would 
have  met  you  somewhere,  or  come  to  the  Embassy. 
Have  we  not  agreed  that  it  was  well  for  Herr  Seling- 
man, the  crockery  manufacturer — " 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  Selingman,"  the  Count  in- 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  271 

terrupted,  "  but  this  morning  I  have  had  a  shock. 
It  was  necessary  for  me  to  talk  with  you  at  once.  In 
Bond  Street  I  met  the  Baroness  von  Haase.  For 
twenty-four  hours  London  has  been  ransacked  in 
vain  for  her.  This  you  may  not  know,  but  I  will 
now  tell  you.  She  has  been  our  trusted  agent,  the 
trusted  agent  of  the  Emperor,  in  many  recent  in- 
stances. She  has  carried  secrets  in  her  brain,  mes- 
sages to  different  countries.  There  is  little  that  she 
does  not  know.  The  last  twenty-four  hours,  as  I 
say,  I  have  sought  for  her.  The  Emperor  requires 
her  presence  in  Vienna.  I  meet  her  in  Bond  Street 
this  morning  and  she  introduces  to  me  her  husband, 
an  English  husband,  Mr.  Francis  Norgate ! " 

He  drew  back  a  little,  with  outstretched  hands. 
Selingman's  face,  however,  remained  expressionless. 

"  Married  already !  "  he  commented.  "  Well,  that 
is  rather  a  surprise." 

"A  surprise?  To  be  frank,  it  terrifies  me!"  the 
Count  cried.  *'  Heaven  knows  what  that  woman 
could  tell  an  Englishman,  if  she  chose!  And  her 
manner  —  I  did  not  like  it.  The  only  reassuring 
thing  about  it  was  that  she  told  me  that  her  husband 
was  one  of  your  men." 

"  Quite  true,"  Selingman  assented.  "  He  is.  It 
is  only  recently  that  he  came  to  us,  but  I  do  not 
mind  telling  you  that  during  the  last  few  weeks  no 
one  has  done  such  good  work.  He  is  the  very  man 
we  needed." 

*'  You  have  trusted  him?  " 

"  I  trust  or  I  do  not  trust,"  Selingman  replied. 
"  That  you  know.     I  have  employed  this  young  man 


272  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

in  very  useful  work.  I  cannot  blindfold  him.  He 
knows." 

"  Then  I  fear  treachery,"  the  Count  declared. 

"  Have  you  any  reason  for  saying  that.''  "  Seling- 
man  asked. 

The  Count  lit  a  cigarette  with  trembling  fingers. 

"  Listen,"  he  said,  *'  always,  my  friend,  you  under- 
value a  little  the  English  race.  You  undervalue  their 
intelligence,  their  patriotism,  their  poise  towards  the 
serious  matters  of  life.  I  know  nothing  of  IVtr. 
Francis  Norgate  save  what  I  saw  this  morning.  He 
is  one  of  that  type  of  Englishmen,  clean-bred,  well- 
born, full  of  reserve,  taciturn,  yet,  I  would  swear, 
honourable.  I  know  the  type,  and  I  do  not  believe 
in  such  a  man  being  your  servant." 

The  shadow  of  anxiety  crossed  Selingman's  face. 

"Have  you  any  reason  for  saying  this?"  he  re- 
peated. 

"  No  reason  save  the  instinct  which  is  above  rea,r 
sonj^'  the  Count  replied  quickly.  "I  know  that  if 
the  Baroness  and  he  put  their  heads  together,  we 
may  be  under  the  shadow  of  catastrophe." 

Selingman  sat  with  folded  arms  for  several  mo- 
ments. 

"  Count,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  appreciate  your  point 
of  view.  You  have,  I  confess,  disturbed  me.  Yet  of 
this  young  man  I  have  little  fear.  I  did  not  ap- 
proach him  by  any  vulgar  means.  I  took,  as  they 
say  here,  the  bull  by  the  horns.  I  appealed  to  his 
patriotism." 

"  To  what  ?  "  the  Count  demanded  incredulously. 

"  To    his    patriotism,"    Selingman    repeated.     "  I 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  273 

showed  him  the  decadence  of  his  country,  decadence 
visible  through  all  her  institutions,  through  her  po- 
litical tendencies,  through  her  young  men  of  all 
classes.  I  convinced  him  that  what  the  country 
needed  was  a  bitter  tonic,  a  kind  but  chastening 
hand.  I  convinced  him  of  this.  He  believes  that 
he  betrays  his  country  for  her  ultimate  good.  As  I 
told  you  before,  he  has  brought  me  information  which 
is  simply  invaluable.  He  has  a  position  and  connec- 
tions which  are  unique." 

The  Count  drew  his  chair  a  little  nearer. 

"  You  say  that  he  has  done  you  great  service,"  he 
said.  "  Well,  you  must  admit  for  yourself  that  the 
day  is  too  near  now  for  much  more  to  be  expected. 
Could  you  not  somehow  guard  against  his  resolution 
breaking  down  at  the  last  moment?  Think  what  it 
may  mean  to  him  —  the  sound  of  his  national  anthem 
at  a  critical  moment,  the  clash  of  arms  in  the  dis- 
tance, the  call  of  France  across  the  Channel.  A 
week  —  even  half  a  week's  extra  preparation  might 
make  much  difference." 

Selingman  sat  for  a  short  time,  deep  in  thought. 
Then  he  drew  out  a  box  of  pale-looking  German 
cigars  and  lit  one. 

"  Count,"  he  announced  solemnly,  "  I  take  off  my 
hat  to  you.     Leave  the  matter  in  my  hands." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

Norgate  set  down  the  telephone  receiver  and  turned 
to  Anna,  who  was  seated  in  an  easy-chair  by  his  side. 

"  Selingman  is  down-stairs,"  he  announced.  "  I 
rather  expected  I  should  see  something  of  him  as  I 
didn't  go  to  the  club  this  afternoon.  You  won't 
mind  if  he  comes  up?  " 

"  The  man  is  a  nuisance,"  Anna  declared,  with  a 
little  grimace.  "  I  was  perfectly  happy,  Francis, 
sitting  here  before  the  open  window  and  looking  out 
at  the  lights  in  that  cool,  violet  gulf  of  darkness.  I 
believe  that  in  another  minute  I  should  have  said 
something  to  you  absolutely  ravishing.  Then  your 
telephone  rings  and  back  one  comes  to  earth  again !  " 

Norgate  smiled  as  he  held  her  hand  in  his. 

"  We  will  get  rid  of  him  quickly,  dearest,"  he 
promised. 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  Selingman  en- 
tered, his  face  wreathed  in  smiles.  He  was  wearing 
a  long  dinner  coat  and  a  flowing  black  tie.  He  held 
out  both  his  hands. 

"  So  this  is  the  great  news  that  has  kept  you  away 
from  us ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  My  congratulations, 
Norgate.  You  can  never  say  again  that  the  luck 
has  left  you.  Baroness,  may  I  take  advantage  of 
my  slight  acquaintance  to  express  my  sincere  wishes 
for  your  happiness?  " 

They  wheeled  up  a  chair  for  him,  and  Norgate 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  275 

produced  some  cigars.  The  night  was  close.  They 
were  on  the  seventh  story,  overlooking  the  river,  and  a 
pleasant  breeze  stole  every  now  and  then  into  the  room. 

"  You  are  well  placed  here,"  Selingman  declared. 
*'  Myself,  I  too  like  to  be  high  up." 

'  "  These  are  really  just  my  bachelor  rooms,"  Nor- 
gate  explained,  "  but  under  the  circumstances  we 
thought  it  wiser  to  wait  before  we  settled  down  any- 
where.    Is  there  any  news  to-night.''  " 

"  There  is  great  news,"  Selingman  announced 
gravely.  "  There  is  news  of  wonderful  import.  In 
a  few  minutes  you  will  hear  the  shouting  of  the  boys 
in  the  Strand  there.  You  shall  hear  it  first  from  me. 
Germany  has  found  herself  compelled  to  declare  war 
against  Russia." 

They  were  both  speechless.  Norgate  was  carried 
off  his  feet.     The  reality  of  the  thing  was  stupendous. 

"  Russia  has  been  mobilising  night  and  day  on  the 
frontiers  of  East  Prussia,"  Selingman  continued. 
*'  Germany  has  chosen  to  strike  the  first  blow.  Now 
listen,  both  of  you.  I  am  going  to  speak  in  these 
few  minutes  to  Norgate  here  very  serious  words.  I 
take  it  that  in  the  matters  which  lie  between  him  and 
me,  you.  Baroness,  are  as  one  with  him.''  " 

"  It  is  so,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  To  be  frank,  then,"  Selingman  went  on,  "  you, 
Norgate,  during  these  momentous  days  have  been  the 
most  useful  of  all  my  helpers  here.  The  information 
which  I  have  dispatched  to  Berlin,  emanating  from 
you,  has  been  more  than  important  —  it  has  been 
vital.  It  has  been  so  vital  that  I  have  a  long  dispatch 
to-night,  begging  me  to  reaffirm  my  absolute  convic- 


276  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

tion  as  to  the  truth  of  the  information  which  I  have 
forwarded.  Let  us,  for  a  moment,  recapitulate. 
You  remember  your  interview  with  Mr.  Hebble- 
thwaite  on  the  subject  of  war?  " 

"  Distinctly,"  Norgate  assented. 

"  It  was  your  impression,"  Selingman  continued, 
*'  gathered  from  that  conversation,  that  under  no 
possible  circumstances  would  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  him- 
self, or  the  Cabinet  as  a  whole,  go  to  war  with  Ger- 
many in  support  of  France.     Is  that  correct  ?  " 

"  It  is  correct,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  Nothing  has  happened  to  change  your  opinion  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  To  proceed,  then,"  Selingman  went  on.  "  Some 
little  time  ago  you  called  upon  Mr.  Bullen  at  the 
House  of  Commons.  You  promised  a  large  contri- 
bution to  the  funds  of  the  Irish  Party,  a  sum  which 
is  to  be  paid  over  on  the  first  of  next  month,  on  con- 
dition that  no  compromise  in  the  Home  Rule  ques- 
tion shall  be  accepted  by  him,  even  in  case  of  war. 
And  further,  that  if  England  should  find  herself  in 
a  state  of  war,  no  Nationalists  should  volunteer  to 
fight  in  her  ranks.     Is  this  correct?  " 

"  Perfectly,"  Norgate  admitted. 

"  The  information  was  of  great  interest  in  Ber- 
lin," Selingman  pointed  out.  "  It  is  realised  there 
that  it  means  of  necessity  a  civil  war." 

"Without  a  doubt." 

"  You  believe,"  Selingman  persisted,  *'  that  I  did 
not  take  an  exaggerated  or  distorted  view  of  the  situ- 
ation, as  discussed  between  you  and  Mr.  Bullen,  when 
I  reported  that  civil  war  in  Ireland  was  inevitable?  " 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  277 

"  It  is  inevitable,"  Norgate  agreed. 

Selingman  sat  for  several  moments  in  portentous 
silence. 

"  We  are  on  the  threshold  of  great  events,"  he  an- 
nounced. "  The  Cabinet  opinion  in  Berlin  has  been, 
swayed  by  the  two  factors  which  we  have  discussed. 
It  is  the  wish  of  Germany,  and  her  policy,  to  end 
once  and  for  all  the  eastern  disquiet,  to  weaken  Rus- 
sia so  that  she  can  no  longer  call  herself  the  cham- 
pion of  the  Slav  races  and  uphold  their  barbarism 
against  our  culture.  France  is  to  be  dealt  with  only 
as  the  ally  of  Russia.  We  want  little  more  from  her 
than  we  have  already.  But  our  great  desire  is  that 
England  of  necessity  and  of  her  own  choice,  should 
remain,  for  the  present,  neutral.  Her  time  is  to 
come  later.  Italy,  Germany,  and  Austria  can  deal 
with  France  and  Russia  to  a  mathematical  certainty. 
What  we  desire  to  avoid  are  any  unforeseen  compli- 
cations. I  leave  you  to-night,  and  I  cable  my  abso- 
lute belief  in  the  statements  deduced  from  your  work. 
You  have  nothing  more  to  say?  " 

"  Nothing,"  Norgate  replied. 

Selingman  was  apparently  relieved.  He  rose,  a 
little  later,  to  his  feet. 

"  My  young  friend,"  he  concluded,  "  in  the  near 
future  great  rewards  will  find  their  way  to  this  coun- 
try. There  is  no  one  who  has  deserved  more  than 
you.  There  is  no  one  who  will  profit  more.  That 
reminds  me.  There  was  one  little  question  I  had  to 
ask.  A  friend  of  mine  has  seen  you  on  your  way 
back  and  forth  to  Camberley  three  or  four  times 
lately.     You  lunched  the  other  day  with  the  colonel 


278  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

of   one  of  your  Lancer  regiments.     How   did   you 
spend  your  time  at  Camberley  ?  " 

For  a  moment  Norgate  made  no  reply.  The  moon- 
light was  shining  into  the  room,  and  Anna  had  turned 
out  all  the  lights  with  the  exception  of  one  heavily- 
shaded  lamp.  Her  eyes  were  shining  as  she  leaned  a 
little  forward  in  her  chair. 

"  Boko  again,  I  suppose,"  Norgate  grunted. 

"  Certainly  Boko,"  Selingman  acknowledged. 

"  I  was  in  the  Yeomanry  when  I  was  younger," 
Norgate  explained  slowly.  "  I  had  some  thought  of 
entering  the  army  before  I  took  up  diplomacy. 
Colonel  Chalmers  is  a  friend  of  mine.  I  have  been 
down  to  Camberley  to  see  if  I  could  pick  up  a  little 
of  the  new  drill." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  "  Selingman  demanded. 

"  Need  I  tell  you  that  ? "  Norgate  protested. 
*'  Whatever  my  feeling  for  England  may  be  at  the 
present  moment,  however  bitterly  I  may  regret  the 
way  she  has  let  her  opportunities  slip,  the  slovenly 
political  condition  of  the  country,  yet  I  cannot  put 
away  from  me  the  fact  that  I  am  an  Englishman.  If 
trouble  should  come,  even  though  I  may  have  helped 
to  bring  it  about,  even  though  I  may  believe  that  it 
is  a  good  thing  for  the  country  to  have  to  meet  trou- 
ble, I  should  still  fight  on  her  side." 

"  But  there  will  be  no  war,"  Selingman  reminded 
him.  "  You  yourself  have  ascertained  that  the  pres- 
ent Cabinet  will  decline  war  at  any  cost." 

"  The  present  Government,  without  a  doubt," 
Norgate  assented.  "  I  am  thinking  of  later  on,  when 
your  first  task  is  over." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  279 

Selingman  nodded  gravely. 

"  When  that  day  comes,"  he  said,  as  he  rose  and 
took  up  his  hat,  "  it  will  not  be  a  war.  If  your  peo- 
ple  resist,  it  will  be  a  butchery.  Better  to  find  your- 
self in  one  of  the  Baroness'  castles  in  Austria  when 
that  time  comes !  It  is  never  worth  while  to  draw  a 
sword  in  a  lost  cause.  I  wish  you  good  night, 
Baroness.     I  wish  you  good  night,  Norgate." 

He  shook  hands  with  them  both  firmly,  but  there 
was  still  something  of  reserve  in  his  manner.  Nor- 
gate rang  for  his  servant  to  show  him  out.  They 
took  their  places  once  more  by  the  window. 

"  War ! "  Norgate  murmured,  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  distant  lights. 

Anna  crept  a  little  nearer  to  him. 

"  Francis,"  she  whispered,  "  that  man  has  made  me 
a  little  uneasy.  Supposing  they  should  discover 
that  you  have  deceived  them,  before  they  have  been 
obliged  to  leave  the  country !  " 

"  They  will  be  much  too  busy,"  Norgate  replied, 
*'  to  think  about  me." 

Anna's  face  was  still  troubled.  "  I  did  not  like  that 
man's  look,"  she  persisted,  "  when  he  asked  you  what 
you  were  doing  at  Camberley.  Perhaps  he  still  be- 
lieves that  you  have  told  the  truth,  but  he  might  easily 
have  it  in  his  mind  that  you  knew  too  many  of  their 
secrets  to  be  trusted  when  the  vital  moment  came." 

Norgate  leaned  over  and  drew  her  towards  him. 

"  Selingman  has  gone,"  he  murmured.  "  It  is  only 
outside  that  war  is  throbbing.  Dearest,  I  think  that 
my  vital  moments  are  now !  " 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  permitted  himself  a  single  mo- 
ment of  abstraction.  He  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table 
in  his  own  remarkably  well-appointed  dining-room. 
His  guests  —  there  were  eighteen  or  twenty  of  them 
in  all  —  represented  in  a  single  word  Success  —  suc- 
cess social  as  well  as  political.  His  excellently 
cooked  dinner  was  being  served  with  faultless  pre- 
cision. His  epigrams  had  never  been  more  pungent. 
The  very  distinguished  peeress  who  sat  upon  his  right, 
and  whose  name  was  a  household  word  in  the  enemy's 
camp,  had  listened  to  him  with  enchained  and  sympa- 
thetic interest.  For  a  single  second  he  permitted 
his  thoughts  to  travel  back  to  the  humble  beginnings 
of  his  political  career.  He  had  a  brief,  flashlight 
recollection  of  the  suburban  parlour  of  his  early  days, 
the  hard  fight  at  first  for  a  living,  then  for  some 
small  place  in  local  politics,  and  then,  larger  and 
more  daring  schemes  as  the  boundary  of  his  ambi- 
tions became  each  year  a  little  further  extended.  Be- 
yond him  now  was  only  one  more  step  to  be  taken. 
The  last  goal  was  well  within  his  reach. 

The  woman  at  his  right  recommenced  their  con- 
versation, which  had  been  for  a  moment  interrupted. 

"  We  were  speaking  of  success,"  she  said.  "  Suc- 
cess often  comes  to  one  covered  by  the  tentacles  and 
parasites  of  shame,  and  yet,  even  in  its  grosser  forms. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  281 

it  has  something  splendid  about  it.  But  success  that 
carries  with  it  no  apparent  drawback  whatever  is, 
of  course,  the  most  amazing  thing  of  all.  I  was 
reading  that  wonderful  article  of  Professor  Wilson's 
last  month.  He  quotes  you  very  extensively.  His 
analysis  of  your  character  was,  in  its  way,  interest- 
ing. Directly  I  had  read  it,  however,  I  felt  that  it 
lacked  one  thing  —  simplicity.  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  the  next  time  we  talked  intimately,  I  would  ask 
you  to  what  you  yourself  attributed  your  success?  " 

Hebblethwaite   smiled  graciously. 

"  I  will  not  attempt  to  answer  you  in  epigrams," 
he  replied.  "  I  will  pay  a  passing  tribute  to  a  won- 
derful constitution,  an  invincible  sense  of  humour, 
which  I  think  help  one  to  keep  one's  head  up  under 
many  trying  conditions.  But  the  real  and  final  ex- 
planation of  my  success  is  that  I  embraced  the  popu- 
lar cause.  I  came  from  the  people,  and  when  I  en- 
tered into  politics,  I  told  myself  and  every  one  else 
that  it  was  for  the  people  I  should  work.  I  have 
never  swerved  from  that  purpose.  It  is  to  the  peo- 
ple I  owe  whatever  success  I  am  enjoying  to-day." 

The  Duchess  nodded  thoughtfully. 

"  Yes,"  she  admitted,  "  you  are  right  there. 
Shall  I  proceed  with  my  own  train  of  thought  quite 
honestly?  " 

"  I  shall  count  it  a  compliment,"  he  assured  her 
earnestly,  "  even  if  your  thoughts  contain  criticisms.'* 

"  You  occupy  so  great  a  position  in  political  life 
to-day,"  she  continued,  "  that  one  is  forced  to  con- 
sider you,  especially  in  view  of  the  future,  as  a 
politician  from  every  point  of  view.     Now,  by  your 


282  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

own  showing,  you  have  been  a  specialist.  You  have 
taken  up  the  cause  of  the  people  against  the  classes. 
You  have  stripped  many  of  us  of  our  possessions  — 
the  Duke,  you  know,  hates  the  sound  of  your  name  — 
and  by  your  legislation  you  have,  without  a  doubt, 
improved  the  welfare  of  many  millions  of  human 
beings.  But  that  is  not  all  that  a  great  politician 
must  achieve,  is  it.''  There  is  our  Empire  across  the 
seas." 

"  Imperialism,"  he  declared,  "  has  never  been  in  the 
foreground  of  my  programme,  but  I  call  myself  an 
Imperialist.  I  have  done  what  I  could  for  the  colo- 
nies. I  have  even  abandoned  on  their  behalf  some  of 
my  pet  principles  of  absolute  freedom  in  trade." 

"  You  certainly  have  not  been  prejudiced,"  she  ad- 
mitted. "  Whether  your  politics  have  been  those  of 
an  Imperialist  from  the  broadest  point  of  view  — 
well,  we  won't  discuss  that  question  just  now.  We 
might,  perhaps,  differ.  But  there  is  just  one  more 
point.  Zealously  and  during  the  whole  of  your 
career,  you  have  set  your  face  steadfastly  against 
any  increase  of  our  military  power.  They  say  that 
it  is  chiefly  due  to  you  and  Mr.  Busby  that  our  army 
to-day  is  weaker  in  numbers  than  it  has  been  for 
years.  You  have  set  your  face  steadily  against  all 
schemes  for  national  service.  You  have  taken  up  the 
stand  that  England  can  afford  to  remain  neutral, 
whatever  combination  of  Powers  on  the  Continent 
may  fight.  Now  tell  me,  do  you  see  any  possibility 
of  failure,  from  the  standpoint  of  a  great  politician, 
in  your  attitude  ?  " 

"  I  do  not,"  he  answered.     "  On  the  contrary,  I 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  28s 

am  proud  of  all  that  I  have  done  in  that  direction. 
For  the  reduction  of  our  armaments  I  accept  the  full 
responsibility.  It  is  true  that  I  have  opposed  na- 
tional service.  I  want  to  see  the  people  develop  com- 
mercially. The  withdrawing  of  a  million  of  young 
men,  even  for  a  month  every  year,  from  their  regular 
tasks,  would  not  only  mean  a  serious  loss  to  the 
manufacturing  community,  but  it  would  be  apt  to 
unsettle  and  unsteady  them.  Further,  it  would 
kindle  in  this  country  the  one  thing  I  am  anxious  to* 
avoid  —  the  military  spirit.  We  do  not  need  it, 
Duchess.  We  are  a  peace-loving  nation,  civilised  out 
of  the  crude  lust  for  conquest  founded  upon  blood- 
shed. I  do  believe  that  geographically  and  from 
every  other  point  of  view,  England,  with  her  navy^ 
can  afford  to  fold  her  arms,  and  if  other  nations 
should  at  any  time  be  foolish  enough  to  imperil  their 
very  existence  by  fighting  for  conquest  or  revenge, 
then  we,  who  are  strong  enough  to  remain  aloof,  can 
only  grow  richer  and  stronger  by  the  disasters  which 
happen  to  them." 

There  was  a  momentary  silence.  The  Duchess 
leaned  back  in  her  chair,  and  Mr.  Hebblethwaite,  al- 
ways the  courteous  host,  talked  for  a  while  to  the 
woman  on  his  left.  The  Duchess,  however,  reopened 
the  subject  a  few  minutes  later. 

"  I  come,  you  must  remember,  Mr.  Hebblethwaite,'* 
she  observed,  "  from  long  generations  of  soldiers,  and 
you,  as  you  have  reminded  me,  from  a  long  race  of 
yeomen  and  tradespeople.  Therefore,  without  a 
doubt,  our  point  of  view  must  be  different.  That, 
perhaps,  is  what  makes  conversation  between  us  so 


284  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

interesting.  To  me,  a  conflict  in  Europe,  sooner  or 
later,  appears  inevitable.  With  England  preserv- 
ing a  haughty  and  insular  neutrality,  which,  from 
her  present  military  condition,  would  be  almost  com- 
pulsory, the  struggle  would  be  between  Russia, 
France,  Italy,  Germany,  and  Austria.  Russia  is  an 
unknown  force,  but  in  my  mind  I  see  Austria  and 
Italy,  with  perhaps  one  German  army,  holding  her 
back  for  many  months,  perhaps  indefinitely.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  see  France  overrun  by  the  Germans 
very  much  as  she  was  in  1870.  I  adore  the  French, 
and  I  have  little  sympathy  with  the  Germans,  but 
as  a  fighting  race  I  very  reluctantly  feel  that  I 
must  admit  the  superiority  of  the  Germans.  Very 
well,  then.  With  Ostend,  Calais,  Boulogne,  and 
Havre  seized  by  Germany,  as  they  certainly  would 
be,  and  turned  into  naval  bases,  do  you  still  believe 
that  England's  security  would  be  wholly  provided 
for  by  her  fleet?  " 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  smiled. 

"  Duchess,"  he  said,  "  sooner  or  later  I  felt  quite 
sure  that  our  conversation  would  draw  near  to  the 
German  bogey.  The  picture  you  draw  is  menacing 
enough.  I  look  upon  its  probability  as  exactly  on 
the  same  par  as  the  overrunning  of  Europe  by  the 
yellow  races." 

"You  believe  in  the  sincerity  of  Germany?"  she 
asked. 

"  I  do,"  he  admitted  firmly.  "  There  is  a  military 
element  in  Germany  which  is  to  be  regretted,  but  the 
Germans  themselves  are  a  splendid,  cultured,  and 
peace-loving  people,  who  are  seeking  their  future  not 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  285 

at  the  point  of  the  sword  but  in  the  counting-houses 
of  the  world.  If  I  fear  the  Germans,  it  is  commer- 
cially, and  from  no  other  point  of  view." 

"  I  wish  I  could  feel  your  confidence,"  the  Duchess 
sighed. 

"  I  have  myself  recently  returned  from  Berlin," 
Mr.  Hebblethwaite  continued.  "  Busby,  as  you 
know,  has  been  many  times  an  honoured  guest  there 
at  their  universities  and  in  their  great  cities.  He  has 
had  every  opportunity  of  probing  the  tendencies  of 
the  people.  His  mind  is  absolutely  and  finally  made 
up.  Not  in  all  history  has  there  ever  existed  a  race 
freer  from  the  lust  of  bloodthirsty  conquest  than  the 
German  people  of  to-day." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  concluded  his  sentence  with, 
some  emphasis.  He  felt  that  his  words  were  carry- 
ing conviction.  Some  of  the  conversation  at  their 
end  of  the  table  had  been  broken  off  to  listen  to  his 
pronouncements.  At  that  moment  his  butler  touched 
him  upon  the  elbow. 

"  Mr.  Bedells  has  just  come  up  from  the  War 
OflSce,  sir,"  he  announced.  "  He  is  waiting  out- 
side. In  the  meantime,  he  desired  me  to  give  you 
this." 

The  butler,  who  had  served  an  archbishop,  and  re- 
sented often  his  own  presence  in  the  establishment  of 
a  Radical  Cabinet  Minister,  presented  a  small  silver 
salver  on  which  reposed  a  hastily  twisted  up  piece  of 
paper.  Mr.  Hebblethwaite,  with  a  little  nod,  un- 
rolled it  and  glanced  towards  the  Duchess,  who  bowed 
complacently.  With  the  smile  still  upon  his  lips,  a 
confident  light  in  his  eyes,  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  held 


286  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

out  the  crumpled  piece  of  paper  before  him  and  read 
the  hurriedly  scrawled  pencil  lines: 

"  Germany  has  declared  war  against  Russia 
and  presented  an  ultimatum  to  France.  I 
have  other  messages.^' 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite  was  a  strong  man.  He  was  a 
man  of  immense  self-control.  Yet  in  that  moment 
the  arteries  of  life  seemed  as  though  they  had  ceased 
to  flow.  He  sat  at  the  head  of  his  table,  and  his  eyes 
never  left  those  pencilled  words.  His  mind  fought 
with  them,  discarded  them,  only  to  find  them  still 
there  hammering  at  his  brain,  traced  in  letters  of 
scarlet  upon  the  distant  walls.  War!  The  great, 
unbelievable  tragedy,  the  one  thousand-to-one  chance 
in  life  which  he  had  ever  taken !  His  hand  almost 
fell  to  his  side.  There  was  a  queer  little  silence.  No 
one  liked  to  ask  him  a  question ;  no  one  liked  to  speak. 
It  was  the  Duchess  at  last  who  murmured  a  few 
words,  when  the  silence  had  become  intolerable. 

*'  It  is  bad  news  ?  "  she  whispered. 

"  It  is  very  bad  news  indeed,"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite 
answered,  raising  his  voice  a  little,  so  that  every  one 
at  the  table  might  hear  him.  "  I  have  just  heard 
from  the  War  Office  that  Germany  has  declared  war 
against  Russia.  You  will  perhaps,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, excuse  me." 

He  rose  to  his  feet.  There  was  a  queer  singing  in 
his  ears.  The  feast  seemed  to  have  turned  to  a  sickly 
debauch.  All  that  pinnacle  of  success  seemed  to 
have  fallen  away.     The  faces  of  his  guests,  even,  as 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  287 

they  looked  at  him,  seemed  to  his  conscience  to  be  ex- 
pressing one  thing,  and  one  thing  only  —  that  same 
horrible  conviction  which  was  deadening  his  own 
senses.  He  and  the  others  —  could  it  be  true?  — 
had  they  taken  up  lightly  the  charge  and  care  of  a 
mighty  empire  and  dared  to  gamble  upon,  instead  of 
providing  for,  its  security?  He  thrust  the  thought 
away ;  and  the  natural  strength  of  the  man  began  to 
reassert  itself.  If  they  had  done  ill,  they  had  done 
it  for  the  people's  sake.  The  people  must  rally  to 
them  now.     He  held  his  head  high  as  he  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

Norgate  found  himself  in  an  atmosphere  of  strange 
excitement  during  his  two  hours'  waiting  at  the 
House  of  Commons  on  the  following  day.  He  was 
ushered  at  last  into  Mr.  Hebblethwaite's  private 
room.  Hebblethwaite  had  just  come  in  from  the 
House  and  was  leaning  a  little  back  in  his  chair,  in 
an  attitude  of  repose.  He  gleinced  at  Norgate  with 
a  faint  smile. 

"  Well,  young  fellow,"  he  remarked,  "  come  to  do 
the  usual  '  I  told  you  so '  business,  I  suppose?  " 

"  Don't  be  an  ass !  "  Norgate  most  irreverently  re- 
plied. "  There  are  one  or  two  things  I  must  tell  you 
and  tell  you  at  once.  I  may  have  hinted  at  them 
before,  but  you  weren't  taking  things  seriously  then. 
First  of  all,  is  Mr.  BuUen  in  the  House?  " 

"  Of  course !  " 

*'  Could  you  send  for  him  here  just  for  a  minute?  " 
Norgate  pleaded.  "  I  am  sure  it  would  make  what  I 
am  going  to  say  sound  more  convincing  to  you." 

Hebblethwaite  struck  a  bell  by  his  side  and  des- 
patched a  messenger. 

"  How  are  things  going?  "  Norgate  asked. 

"  France  is  mobilising  as  fast  as  she  can,"  Heb- 
blethwaite announced.  "  We  have  reports  coming  in 
that  Germany  has  been  at  it  for  at  least  a  week,  se- 
cretly. They  say  that  Austrian  troops  have  crossed 
into  Poland.     There  isn't  anything  definite  yet,  but 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  289 

it's  war,  without  a  doubt,  war  just  as  we'd  struck 
the  right  note  for  peace.  Russia  was  firm  but  splen- 
did. Austria  was  wavering.  Just  at  the  critical 
moment,  like  a  thunderbolt,  came  Germany's  declara- 
tion of  war.  Here's  Mr.  Bullen.  Now  go  ahead, 
Norgate." 

Mr.  Bullen  came  into  the  room,  recognised  Nor- 
gate, and  stopped  short. 

"  So  you're  here  again,  young  man,  are  you?  "  he 
exclaimed.  "  I  don't  know  why  you've  sent  for  me, 
Hebblethwaite,  but  if  you  take  my  advice,  you  won't 
let  that  young  fellow  go  until  you've  asked  him  a 
few  questions." 

"  Mr.  Norgate  is  a  friend  of  mine,"  Hebblethwaite 
said.     "  I  think  you  will  find  — " 

"  Friend  or  no  friend,"  the  Irishman  interrupted, 
**  he  is  a  traitor,  and  I  tell  you  so  to  his  face." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  wished  you  to  tell  Mr. 
Hebblethwaite,"  Norgate  remarked,  nodding  pleas- 
antly. "  I  just  want  you  to  recall  the  circumstances 
of  my  first  visit  here." 

"  You  came  and  offered  me  a  bribe  of  a  million 
pounds,"  Mr.  Bullen  declared,  "  if  I  would  provoke 
a  civil  war  in  Ireland  in  the  event  of  England  getting 
into  trouble.  I  wasn't  sure  whom  jou  were  acting 
for  then,  but  I  am  jolly  certain  now.  That  young 
fellow  is  a  German  spy,  Hebblethwaite." 

"  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  knew  that  quite  well,"  ad- 
mitted Norgate  coolly.  "  I  came  and  told  him  so 
several  times.  I  think  that  he  even  encouraged  me  to 
do  my  worst." 

"  Look  here,  Norgate,"  Hebblethwaite  intervened. 


290  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

"  I'm  certain  you  are  driving  at  something  serious. 
Let's  have  it." 

"  Quite  right,  I  am,"  Norgate  assented.  "  I  just 
wanted  to  testify  to  you  that  Mr.  Bullen's  reply  to 
my  oflPer  was  the  patriotic  reply  of  a  loyal  Irishman. 
I  did  offer  him  that  million  pounds  on  behalf  of  Ger- 
many, and  he  did  indignantly  refuse  it,  but  the  point 
of  the  whole  thing  is  —  my  report  to  Germany." 

"  And  that  ?  "  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  asked  eagerly. 

**  I  reported  Mr.  Bullen's  acceptance  of  the  sum," 
Norgate  told  them.  "  I  reported  that  civil  war  in 
Ireland  was  imminent  and  inevitable  and  would  come 
only  the  sooner  for  any  continental  trouble  in  which 
England  might  become  engaged." 

Mr.  Hebblethwaite's  face  cleared. 

*'  I  begin  to  understand  now,  Norgate,"  he  mut- 
tered.    "  Good  fellow !  " 

Mr.  BuUen  was  summoned  in  hot  haste  by  one  of 
his  supporters  and  hurried  out.  Norgate  drew  his 
chair  a  little  closer  to  his  friend's. 

"  Look  here,  Hebblethwaite,"  he  said,  "  you 
wouldn't  listen  to  me,  you  know  —  I  don't  blame  you 
—  but  I  knew  the  truth  of  what  I  was  saying.  I 
knew  what  was  coming.  The  only  thing  I  could  do 
to  help  was  to  play  the  double  traitor.  I  did  it. 
JVIy  chief,  who  reported  to  Berlin  that  this  civil  war 
was  inevitable,  will  get  it  in  the  neck,  but  there's  more 
to  follow.  The  Baroness  von  Haase  and  I  were  as- 
sociated in  an  absolutely  confidential  mission  to  ascer- 
tain the  likely  position  of  Italy  in  the  event  of  this 
conflict.  I  know  for  a  fact  that  Italy  will  not  come 
in  with  her  allies." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  291 

"  Do  you  mean  that?  "  Mr.  Hebblethwaite  asked 
eagerly. 

"  Absolutely  certain,"  Norgate  assured  him. 

Hebblethwaite  half  rose  from  his  place  with  excite- 
ment. 

"  I  ought  to  telephone  to  the  War  Office,"  he  de- 
clared. "  It  will  alter  the  whole  mobilisation  of  the 
French  troops." 

"  France  knows,"  Norgate  told  him  quietly.  "  My 
wife  has  seen  to  that.  She  passed  the  information 
on  to  them  just  in  time  to  contract  the  whole  line  of 
mobilisation." 

"  You've  been  doing  big  things,  young  fellow ! " 
Mr.  Hebblethwaite  exclaimed  excitedly.  "  Go  on. 
Tell  me  at  once,  what  was  your  report  to  Germany.''  " 

"  I  reported  that  Italy  would  certainly  fulfil  the 
terms  of  her  alliance  and  fight,"  Norgate  replied. 
"  Furthermore,  I  have  convinced  my  chief  over  here 
that  under  no  possible  circumstances  would  the  pres- 
ent Cabinet  sanction  any  war  whatsoever.  I  have 
given  him  plainly  to  understand  that  you  especially 
are  determined  to  leave  France  to  her  fate  if  war 
should  come,  and  to  preserve  our  absolute  neutrality 
at  all  costs." 

"  Go  on,"  Hebblethwaite  murmured.  "  Finish  it, 
anyhow." 

"  There  is  very  little  more,"  Norgate  concluded. 
"  I  have  a  list  here  of  properties  in  the  outskirts  of 
London,  all  bought  by  Germans,  and  all  having  se- 
cret preparations  for  the  mounting  of  big  guns. 
You  might  just  pass  that  on  to  the  War  Office,  and 
they  can  destroy  the  places  at  their  leisure.     There 


292  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

isn't  anything  else,  Hebblethwaite.  As  I  told  you, 
I've  played  the  double  traitor.  It  was  the  only  way 
I  could  help.  Now,  if  I  were  you,  I  would  arrest 
the  master-spy  for  whom  I  have  been  working.  Most 
of  the  information  he  has  picked  up  lately  has  been 
pretty  bad,  and  I  fancy  he'll  get  a  warm  reception  if 
he  does  get  back  to  Berlin,  but  if  ever  there  was  a 
foreigner  who  abused  the  hospitality  of  this  coun- 
try, Selingman's  the  man." 

"We'll  see  about  that  presently,"  Mr.  Hebble- 
thwaite declared,  leaning  back.  "  Let  me  think  over 
what  you  have  told  me.  It  comes  to  this,  Norgate. 
You've  practically  encouraged  Germany  to  risk  af- 
fronting us." 

"  I  can't  help  that,"  Norgate  admitted.  "  Ger- 
many has  gone  into  this  war,  firmly  believing  that 
Italy  will  be  on  her  side,  and  that  we  shall  have  our 
hands  occupied  in  civil  war,  and  in  any  case  that  we 
should  remain  neutral.  I  am  not  asking  you  ques- 
tions, Hebblethwaite.  I  don't  know  what  the  posi- 
tion of  the  Government  will  be  if  Germany  attacks 
France  in  the  ordinary  way.  But  one  thing  I  do  be- 
lieve, and  that  is  that  if  Germany  breaks  Belgian 
neutrality  and  invades  Belgium,  there  isn't  any  Eng- 
lish Government  which  has  ever  been  responsible  for 
the  destinies  of  this  country,  likely  to  take  it  lying 
down.  We  are  shockingly  unprepared,  or  else,  of 
course,  there'd  have  been  no  war  at  all.  We  shall 
lose  hundreds  of  thousands  of  our  young  men,  because 
they'll  have  to  fight  before  they  are  properly  trained, 
but  we  must  fight  or  perish.  And  we  shall  fight  —  I 
am  sure  of  that,  Hebblethwaite." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  293 

*'  We  are  all  Englishmen,"  Hebblethwaite  answered 
simply. 

The  door  was  suddenly  opened.  Spencer  Wyatt 
pushed  his  way  past  a  protesting  doorkeeper.  Heb- 
blethwaite rose  to  his  feet;  he  seemed  to  forget  Nor- 
gate's  presence. 

"  You've  been  down  to  the  Admiralty  ?  "  he  asked 
quickly.     "  Do  you  know?  " 

Spencer  Wyatt  pointed  to  Norgate.  His  voice 
shook  with  emotion. 

"  I  know,  Hebblethwaite,"  he  replied,  "  but  there's 
something  that  you  don't  know.  We  were  told  to 
mobilise  the  fleet  an  hour  ago.  My  God,  what  chance 
should  we  have  had !  Germany  means  scrapping,  and 
look  where  our  ships  are,  or  ought  to  be." 

"  I  know  it,"  Hebblethwaite  groaned. 

"  Well,  they  aren't  there ! "  Spencer  Wyatt  an- 
nounced triumphantly.  *'  A  week  ago  that  young 
fellow  came  to  me.  He  told  me  what  was  impending. 
I  half  believed  it  before  he  began.  When  he  told 
me  his  story,  I  gambled  upon  it.  I  mistook  the  date 
for  the  Grand  Review.  I  signed  the  order  for  mobil- 
isation at  the  Admiralty,  seven  days  ago.  We  are 
safe,  Hebblethwaite !  I've  been  getting  wireless  mes- 
sages all  day  yesterday  and  to-day.  We  are  at 
Cromarty  and  Rosyth.  Our  torpedo  squadron  is  in 
position,  our  submarines  are  off  the  German  coast. 
It  was  just  the  toss  of  a  coin  —  papers  and  a  country 
life  for  me,  or  our  fleet  safe  and  a  great  start  in  the 
war.     This  is  the  man  who  has  done  it." 

"  It's  the  best  news  I've  heard  this  week,"  Heb- 
blethwaite  declared,   with   glowing   face.     "  If   our 


294  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

fleet  is  safe,  the  country  is  safe  for  a  time.  If  this 
thing  comes,  we've  a  chance.  I'll  go  through  the 
country.  I'll  start  the  day  war's  declared.  I'll  talk 
to  the  people  I've  slaved  for.  They  shall  come  to  our 
help.  We'll  have  the  greatest  citizen  army  who  ever 
fought  for  their  native  land.  I've  disbelieved  in 
fighting  all  my  life.  If  we  are  driven  to  it,  we'll 
show  the  world  what  peace-loving  people  can  do,  if 
the  weapon  is  forced  into  their  hands.  Norgate,  the 
country  owes  you  a  great  debt.  Another  time, 
Wyatt,  I'll  tell  you  more  than  you  know  now.  What 
can  we  do  for  you,  young  fellow.''  " 

Norgate  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  My  work  is  already  chosen,  thanks,"  he  said,  as 

he  shook  hands.     "  I  have  been  preparing  for  some 

time." 

/ 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

The  card-rooms  at  the  St.  James's  Club  were 
crowded,  but  very  few  people  seemed  inclined  to  play. 
They  were  standing  or  sitting  about  in  little  groups. 
A  great  many  of  them  were  gathered  around  the  cor- 
ner where  Selingman  was  seated.  He  was  looking 
somewhat  graver  than  usual,  but  there  was  still  a 
confident  smile  upon  his  lips. 

"  My  little  friend,"  he  said,  patting  the  hand  of 
the  fair  lady  by  his  side,  "  reassure  yourself.  Your 
husband  and  your  husband's  friends  are  quite  safe. 
For  England  there  will  come  no  fighting.  Believe 
me,  that  is  a  true  word." 

"  But  the  impossible  is  happening  all  the  time," 
Mrs.  Barlow  protested.  "  WTio  would  have  believed 
that  without  a  single  word  of  warning  Germany  would 
have  declared  war  against  Russia?  " 

Mr.  Selingman  raised  his  voice  a  little. 

"  Let  me  make  the  situation  clear,"  he  begged. 
"  Listen  to  me,  if  you  will,  because  I  am  a  patriotic 
German  but  also  a  lover  of  England,  a  sojourner 
here,  and  one  of  her  greatest  friends.  Germany  has 
gone  to  war  against  Russia.  Why?  You  will  say 
upon  a  trifling  pretext.  My  answer  to  you  is  this. 
There  is  between  the  Teuton  and  the  Slav  an  enmity 
more  mighty  than  anything  you  can  conceive  of.  It 
has  been  at  the  root  of  all  the  unrest  in  the  Balkans. 


296  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Many  a  time  Germany  has  kept  the  peace  at  the 
imminent  loss  of  her  own  position  and  prestige.  But 
one  knows  now  that  the  struggle  must  come.  The 
Russians  are  piling  up  a  great  army  with  only  one 
intention.  They  mean  to  wrest  from  her  keeping 
certain  provinces  of  Austria,  to  reduce  Germany's 
one  ally  to  the  condition  of  a  vassal  state,  to  estab- 
lish the  Slav  people  there  and  throughout  the  Balkan 
States,  at  the  expense  of  the  Teuton.  Germany  must 
protect  her  own.  It  is  a  struggle,  mind  you,  which 
concerns  them  alone.  If  only  there  were  common 
sense  in  the  world,  every  one  else  would  stand  by  and 
let  Germany  and  Austria  fight  with  Russia  on  the 
one  great  issue  —  Slav  or  Teuton." 

"  But  there's  France,"  little  Mrs.  Barlow  reminded 
him.  "  She  can't  keep  out  of  it.  She  is  Russia's 
ally." 

"  Alas !  my  dear  madam,"  Selingman  continued, 
"  you  point  out  the  tragedy  of  the  whole  situation. 
If  France  could  see  wisdom,  if  France  could  see  truth, 
she  would  fold  her  arms  with  you  others,  keep  her 
country  and  her  youth  and  her  dignity.  But  I  will 
be  reasonable.  She  is,  as  you  say,  bound  —  bound 
by  her  alliance  to  Russia,  and  she  will  fight.  Very 
well!  Germany  wants  no  more  from  France  than 
what  she  has.  Germany  will  fight  a  defensive  cam- 
paign. She  will  push  France  back  with  one  hand,  in 
as  friendly  a  manner  as  is  compatible  with  the  ethics 
of  war.  On  the  east  she  will  move  swiftly.  She  will 
fight  Russia,  and,  believe  me,  the  issue  will  not  be 
long  doubtful.  She  will  conclude  an  honourable 
peace  with  France  at  the  first  opportunity." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  297 

"  Then  you  don't  think  we  shall  be  involved  at 
all?  "  some  one  else  asked. 

"  If  you  are,"  Selingman  declared,  "  it  will  be  your 
own  doing,  and  it  will  simply  be  the  most  criminal 
act  of  this  generation.  Germany  has  nothing  but 
friendship  for  England.  I  ask  you,  what  British 
interests  are  threatened  by  this  inevitable  clash  be- 
tween the  Slav  and  the  Teuton?  It  is  miserable 
enough  for  France  to  be  dragged  in.  It  would  be 
lunacy  for  England.  Therefore,  though  it  is  true 
that  serious  matters  are  pending,  though,  alas !  I 
must  return  at  once  to  see  what  help  I  can  afford  my 
country,  never  for  a  moment  believe,  any  of  you,  that 
there  exists  the  slightest  chance  of  war  between  Ger- 
many and  England." 

"  Then  I  don't  see,"  Mrs.  Barlow  sighed,  "  why 
we  shouldn't  have  a  rubber  of  bridge." 

"  Let  us,"  Selingman  assented.  "  It  is  a  very  rea- 
sonable suggestion.  It  will  divert  our  thoughts. 
Here  is  the  afternoon  paper.  Let  us  first  see  whether 
there  is  any  further  news." 

It  was  Mrs.  Paston  Benedek  who  opened  it.  She 
stared  at  the  first  sheet  for  a  moment  with  eyes  which 
were  almost  dilated.  Then  she  looked  around.  Her 
voice  sounded  unnatural. 

"  Look !  "  she  cried.  "  Francis  Norgate  —  Mr. 
Francis  Norgate  has  committed  suicide  in  his 
rooms  I " 

"  It  is  not  possible !  "  Selingman  exclaimed. 

They  all  crowded  around  the  paper.  The  an- 
nouncement was  contained  in  a  few  lines  only.  Mr. 
Francis  Norgate  had  been  discovered  shot  through 


298  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

the  heart  in  his  sitting-room  at  the  Milan  Court,  with 
fj,  revolver  by  his  side.  There  was  a  letter  addressed 
to  his  wife,  who  had  left  the  day  before  for  Paris. 
No  further  particulars  could  be  given  of  the  tragedy. 
The  little  group  of  men  and  women  all  looked  at  one 
another  in  a  strange,  questioning  manner.  For  a 
moment  the  war  cloud  seemed  to  have  passed  even 
from  their  memories.  It  was  something  newer  and 
in  a  sense  more  dramatic,  this.  Norgate  —  one  of 
themselves !  Norgate,  who  had  played  bridge  with 
them  day  after  day^,  had  been  married  only  a  week 
or  so  ago  —  dead,  under  the  most  horrible  of  all  con- 
ditions !  And  Baring,  only  a  few  weeks  before ! 
There  was  an  uneasiness  about  which  no  one  could  put 
into  words,  vague  suspicions,  strange  imaginings. 

"  It's  only  three  weeks,'*  some  one  muttered,  *'  since 
poor  Baring  shot  himself!  What  the  devil  does  it 
mean?  Norgate  —  why,  the  fellow  was  full  of  com- 
mon sense." 

"  He  was  fearfully  cut  up,"  some  one  interposed, 
*'  about  that  Berlin  affair." 

"  But  he  was  just  married,"  Mrs.  Paston  Benedek 
reminded  them,  "  married  to  the  most  charming 
woman  in  Europe, —  rich,  too,  and  noble.  I  saw 
them  only  two  days  ago  together.  They  were  the 
picture  of  happiness.  This  is  too  terrible.  I  am  go- 
ing into  the  other  room  to  sit  down.  Please  forgive 
me.     Mr.  Selingman,  will  you  give  me  your  arm?  " 

She  passed  into  the  little  drawing-room,  almost 
dragging  her  companion.  She  closed  the  door  behind 
them.  Her  eyes  were  brilliant.  The  words  came 
hot  and  quivering  from  her  lips. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  29^ 

"  Listen ! "  she  ordered.  "  Tell  me  the  truth. 
Was  this  suicide  or  not.''  " 

"  Why  should  it  not  be .'' "  Selingman  asked 
gravely.  "  Norgate  was  an  Englishman,  after  all. 
He  must  have  felt  that  he  had  betrayed  his  country. 
He  has  given  us,  as  you  know,  very  valuable  informa- 
tion. The  thought  must  have  preyed  upon  his  con- 
science." 

"  Don't  lie  to  me !  "  she  interrupted.  "  Tell  me 
the  truth  now  or  never  come  near  me  again,  never 
ask  me  another  question,  don't  be  surprised  to  find 
the  whole  circle  of  your  friends  here  broken  up  and 
against  you.  It's  only  the  truth  I  ask  for.  If  a 
thing  is  necessary,  do  I  not  know  that  it  must  be 
done-f*  But  I  will  hear  the  truth.  There  was  that 
about  Baring's  death  which  I  never  understood ;  but 
this  —  this  shall  be  explained." 

Selingman  stood  for  a  moment  or  two  with  folded 
arms. 

"  Dear  lady,"  he  said  soothingly,  "  you  are  not 
like  the  others.  You  have  earned  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth.  You  shall  have  it.  I  did  not  mistrust 
Francis  Norgate,  but  I  knew  very  well  that  when  the 
blow  fell,  he  would  waver.  These  Englishmen  are  all 
like  that.  They  can  lose  patience  with  their  ill-gov- 
erned country.  They  can  go  abroad,  write  angry 
letters  to  The  Times,  declare  that  they  have  shaken 
the  dust  of  their  native  land  from  their  feet.  But 
when  the  pinch  comes,  they  fall  back.  Norgate  has 
served  me  well,  but  he  knew  too  much.  He  is  safer 
where  he  is." 

"  He  was  murdered,  then !  "  she  whispered. 


300  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Selingman  nodded  very  slightly. 

"  It  is  seldom,"  he  declared,  "  that  we  go  so  far. 
Believe  me,  it  is  only  because  our  great  Empire  is 
making  its  move,  stretching  out  for  the  great  world 
war,  that  I  gave  the  word.  What  is  one  man's  life 
when  millions  are  soon  to  perish?  " 

She  sank  down  into  an  easy-chair  and  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands. 

"  I  am  answered,"  she  murmured,  "  only  I  know 
now  I  was  not  made  for  these  things.  I  love  schem- 
ing, but  I  am  a  woman." 


CHAPTER  XL 

Mr.  Selingman's  influence  over  his  fellows  had 
never  been  more  marked  than  on  that  gloomiest  of 
all  afternoons.  They  gathered  around  him  as  he  sat 
on  the  cushioned  fender,  a  cup  of  tea  in  one  hand 
and  a  plateful  of  buttered  toast  by  his  side. 

"  To-day,"  he  proclaimed,  "  I  bring  good  news. 
Yesterday,  I  must  admit,  things  looked  black,  and  the 
tragedy  to  poor  young  Norgate  mside  us  all  mis- 
erable." 

"  I  should  have  said  things  looked  worse,"  one  of 
the  men  declared,  throwing  down  an  afternoon  paper. 
"  The  Cabinet  Council  is  still  sitting,  and  there  are 
all  sorts  of  rumours  in  the  city." 

"  I  was  told  by  a  man  in  the  War  OflSce,"  Mrs. 
Barlow  announced,  "  that  England  would  stand  by 
her  treaty  to  Belgium,  and  that  Germany  has  made 
all  her  plans  to  invade  France  through  Belgium." 

"  Rumours,  of  course,  there  must  be,"  Selingman 
agreed,  "  but  I  bring  something  more  than  rumour. 
I  received  to-day,  by  special  messenger  from  Berlin, 
a  dispatch  of  the  utmost  importance.  Germany  is 
determined  to  show  her  entire  friendliness  towards 
England.  She  recognises  the  difficulties  of  your  sit- 
uation. She  is  going  to  make  a  splendid  bid  for 
your  neutrality.  Much  as  I  would  like  to,  I  can- 
not tell  you  more.  This,  however,  I  know  to  be  the 
basis  of  her  offer.     You  in  England  could  help  in 


302  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

the  fight  solely  by  means  of  your  fleet.  It  is  Ger- 
many's suggestion  that,  in  return  for  your  neutral- 
ity, she  should  withdraw  her  fleet  from  action  and 
leave  the  French  northern  towns  unbombarded.  You 
will  then  be  in  a  position  to  fulfil  your  obligations  to 
France,  whatever  they  may  be,  without  moving  a 
stroke  or  spending  a  penny.  It  is  a  triumph  of 
diplomacy,  that  —  a  veritable  triumph." 

*'  It  does  sound  all  right,"  Mrs.  Barlow  admitted. 

**  It  has  relieved  my  mind  of  a  mighty  burden," 
Selingman  continued,  setting  down  his  emptj'^  plate 
and  brushing  the  crumbs  from  his  waistcoat.  "  I 
feel  now  that  we  can  look  on  at  this  world  drama 
with  sorrowing  eyes,  indeed,  but  free  from  feelings 
of  hatred  and  animosity.  I  have  had  a  trying  day. 
I  should  like  a  little  bridge.     Let  us  — " 

Selingman  did  not  finish  his  sentence.  The  whole 
room,  for  a  moment,  seemed  to  become  a  study  in 
still  life.  A  woman  who  had  been  crossing  the  floor 
stood  there  as  though  transfixed.  A  man  who  was 
dealing  paused  with  an  outstretched  card  in  his  hand. 
Every  eye  was  turned  on  the  threshold.  It  was  Nor- 
gate  who  stood  there,  Norgate  metamorphosed,  in 
khaki  uniform  —  an  amazing  spectacle !  Mrs.  Bar- 
low was  the  first  to  break  the  silence  with  a  pierc- 
ing shriek.  Then  the  whole  room  seemed  to  be  in 
a  turmoil.  Selingman  alone  sat  quite  still.  There 
was  a  grey  shade  upon  his  face,  and  the  veins  were 
standing  out  at  the  back  of  his  hands. 

"  So  sorry  to  startle  you  all,"  Norgate  said 
apologetically.  "  Of  course,  you  haven't  seen  the 
afternoon  papers.     It  was  my  valet  who  was  found 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  303 

dead  in  my  rooms  —  a  most  mysterious  aflPair,"  he 
added,  his  eyes  meeting  Selingman's.  "  The  inquest 
is  to  be  this  afternoon." 

"  Your  valet !  "  Selingman  muttered. 

"  A  very  useful  fellow,"  Norgate  continued^ 
strolling  to  the  fireplace  and  standing  there,  "  but 
with  a  very  bad  habit  of  wearing  myclothjiswhen  I 
am  away.  I  was  down  in  Camberley  for  three  days 
and  left  him  in  charge." 

They  showered  congratulations  upon  him,  but  in 
the  midst  of  them  the  strangeness  of  his  appearance 
provoked  their  comment. 

"  What  does  it  mean?  "  Mrs.  Benedek  asked,  pat- 
ting his  arm.     "  Have  you  turned  soldier?  " 

"  In  a  sense  I  have,"  Norgate  admitted,  "  but  only 
in  the  sense  that  every  able-bodied  Englishman  will 
have  to  do,  in  the  course  of  the  next  few  months. 
Directly  I  saw  this  coming,  I  arranged  for  a  com- 
mission." 

"  But  there  is  to  be  no  war  I "  Mrs.  Barlow  ex- 
claimed. "  Mr.  Selingman  has  been  explaining  to  us 
this  afternoon  what  wonderful  offers  Germany  is  mak- 
ing, so  that  we  shall  be  able  to  remain  neutral  and 
yet  keep  our  pledges." 

"  Mr.  Selingman,"  Norgate  said  quietly,  "  is  un- 
der a  delusion.  Germany,  it  is  true,  has  offered  us 
a  shameless  bribe.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  you 
all  that  our  Ministry,  whatever  their  politics  may 
be,  have  shown  themselves  men.  An  English  ulti- 
matum is  now  on  its  way  to  Berlin.  War  will  be  de- 
clared before  midnight." 

Selingman  rose  slowly  to  his  feet.     His  face  was 


304  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

black  with  passion.  He  pushed  a  man  away  who 
stood  between  them.  He  was  face  to  face  with  Nor- 
gate. 

"  So  you,"  he  thundered,  suddenly  reckless  of  the 
bystanders,  "  are  a  double  traitor !  You  have  taken 
pay  from  Germany  and  deceived  herl  You  knew, 
after  all,  that  your  Government  would  make  war 
when  the  time  came.     Is  that  so?  " 

"  I  was  always  convinced  of  it,"  Norgate  replied 
calmly.  *'  I  also  had  the  honour  of  deceiving  you 
in  the  matter  of  Mr.  Bullen.  I  have  been  the  means, 
owing  to  your  kind  and  thoughtful  information,  of 
having  the  fleet  mobilised  and  ready  to  strike  at  the 
present  moment,  and  there  are  various  little  pieces 
of  property  I  know  about,  Mr.  Selingman,  around 
London,  where  we  have  taken  the  liberty  of  blow- 
ing up  your  foundations.  There  may  be  a  little  dis- 
appointment for  you,  too,  in  the  matter  of  Italy. 
The  money  you  were  good  enough  to  pay  me  for 
my  doubtful  services,  has  gone  towards  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Red  Cross  hospital.  As  for  you, 
Selingman,  I  denounce  you  now  as  one  of  those  who 
worked  in  this  country  for  her  ill,  one  of  those  pests 
of  the  world,  working  always  in  the  background,  dis- 
honourably and  selfishly,  against  the  country  whose 
hospitahty  you  have  abused.  If  I  have  met  you  on 
your  own  ground,  well,  I  am  proud  of  it.  You  are 
a  German  spy,  Selingman." 

Selingman's  hand  fumbled  in  his  pocket.  Scarcely 
a  soul  was  surprised  when  Norgate  gripped  him  by 
the  wrist,  and  they  saw  the  little  shining  revolver  fall 
down  towards  the  fender. 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  305 

"  You  shall  suffer  for  these  words,"  Selingman. 
thundered.  "  You  young  fool,  you  shall  bite  the 
dust,  you  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  your  cow- 
ardly fellows,  when  the  German  flag  flies  from  Buck- 
ingham Palace." 

Norgate  held  up  his  hand  and  turned  towards  the 
door.     Two  men  in  plain  clothes  entered. 

"  That  may  be  a  sight,"  Norgate  said  calmly, 
"  which  you,  at  any  rate,  will  not  be  permitted  to 
see.  I  have  had  some  trouble  in  arranging  for  your 
arrest,  as  we  are  not  yet  under  martial  law,  but  I 
think  you  will  find  your  way  to  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don before  long,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  with  your 
back  to  the  light  and  a  dozen  rifles  pointing  to  your 
heart." 

A  third  man  had  come  into  the  room.  He  tapped 
Selingman  on  the  shoulder  and  whispered  in  his  ear. 

"  I  demand  to  see  your  warrant ! "  the  latter  ex- 
claimed. 

The  officer  produced  it.  Selingman  threw  it  on 
the  floor  and  spat  upon  it.  He  looked  around  the 
room,  in  the  further  comer  of  which  two  men  and  a 
woman  were  standing  upon  chairs  to  look  over  the 
heads  of  the  little  crowd. 

"  Take  me  where  you  will,"  he  snarled.  "  You 
are  a  rotten,  treacherous,  cowardly  race,  you  Eng- 
lish, and  I  hate  you  all.  You  can  kill  me  first,  if 
you  will,  but  in  two  months'  time  you  shall  learn 
what  it  is  like  to  wait  hand  and  foot  upon  your  con- 
querors." 

He  strode  out  of  the  room,  a  guard  on  either  side 
of  him  and  the  door  closed.     One  woman  had  fainted. 


3o6  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Mrs.  Paston  Benedek  was  swaying  back  and  forth 
upon  the  cushioned  fender,  sobbing  hysterically. 
Norgate  stood  by  her  side. 

"  I  have  forgotten  the  names,"  he  announced 
pointedly,  "  of  many  of  that  fellow's  dupes.  I  am 
content  to  forget  them.  I  am  off  now,"  he  went 
on,  his  tone  becoming  a  little  kinder.  "  I  am  tell- 
ing you  the  truth.  It's  war.  You  men  had  bet- 
ter look  up  any  of  the  forces  that  suit  you  and  get 
to  work.  We  shall  all  be  needed.  There  is  work, 
too,  for  the  women,  any  quantity  of  it.  My  wife 
will  be  leaving  again  for  France  next  week  with  the 
first  Red  Cross  Ambulance  Corps.  I  dare  say  she 
will  be  glad  to  hear  from  any  one  who  wants  to 
help." 

"  I  shall  be  a  nurse,"  Mrs.  Paston  Benedek  de- 
cided.    "  I  am  sick  of  bridge  and  amusing  myself." 

"  The  costume  is  quite  becoming,"  Mrs.  Barlow 
murmured,  glancing  at  herself  in  the  looking-glass, 
*'  and  I  adore  those  poor  dear  soldiers." 

"  Well,  I'll  leave  you  to  it,"  Norgate  declared. 
"  Good  luck  to  you  all !  " 

They  crowded  around  him,  shaking  him  by  the 
hand,  still  besieging  him  with  questions  about 
Selingman.  He  shook  his  head  good-humouredly 
and  made  his  way  towards  the  door. 

"  There's  nothing  more  to  tell  you,"  he  concluded. 
^'  Selingman  is  just  one  of  the  most  dangerous  spies 
who  has  ever  worked  in  this  country,  but  the  war  it- 
self was  inevitable.  We've  known  that  for  years, 
only  we  wouldn't  believe  it.  We'll  all  meet  again, 
perhaps,  in  the  work  later  on." 


THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR  307 

Late  that  night,  Norgate  stood  hand  in  hand  with 
Anna  at  the  window  of  their  little  sitting-room. 
Down  in  the  Strand,  the  newsboys  were  shouting  the 
ominous  words.  The  whole  of  London  was  stunned. 
The  great  war  had  come ! 

"  It's  wonderful,  dear,"  Anna  whispered,  "  that 
we  should  have  had  these  few  days  of  so  great  hap- 
piness.    I  feel  brave  and  strong  now  for  our  task." 

Norgate  held  her  closely  to  him. 

"  We've  been  in  luck,"  he  said  simply.  "  We  were 
able  to  do  something  pretty  soon.  I  have  had  the 
greatest  happiness  in  life  a  man  can  have.  Now  I 
am  going  to  offer  my  life  to  my  country  and  pray 
that  it  may  be  spared  for  you.  But  above  all,  what- 
ever happens,"  he  added,  leaning  a  little  further  from 
the  window  towards  where  the  curving  lights  gleamed 
across  the  black  waters  of  the  Thames,  "  above  all, 
whatever  may  happen  to  us,  we  are  face  to  face  with 
one  splendid  thing  —  a  great  country  to  fight  for, 
and  a  just  cause.  I  saw  Hebblethwaite  as  I  came 
in.  He  is  a  changed  man.  Talks  about  raising  an 
immense  citizen  army  in  six  months.  Both  his  boys 
have  taken  up  commissions.  Hebblethwaite  himself 
is  going  around  the  country,  recruiting.  They  are 
his  people,  after  all.  He  has  given  them  their  pros- 
perity at  the  expense,  alas !  of  our  safety.  It's  up 
to  them  now  to  prove  whether  the  old  spirit  is 
there  or  not.  We  shall  need  two  million  men.  Heb- 
blethwaite believes  we  shall  get  them  long  before  the 
camps  are  ready  to  receive  them.  If  we  do,  it  will 
be  his  justification." 

"  And  if  we  don't.?  "  Anna  murmured. 


3o8  THE  DOUBLE  TRAITOR 

Norgate  threw  his  head  a  little  further  back. 

"  Most  pictures,"  he  said,  "  have  two  sides,  but 
we  need  only  look  at  one.  I  am  going  to  believe  that 
we  shall  get  them.  I  am  going  to  remember  the  only 
true  thing  that  fellow  Selingman  ever  said:  that  our 
lesson  had  come  before  it  is  too  late.  I  am  going  to 
believe  that  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the  nation 
is  still  a  live  thing.  If  it  is,  dear,  the  end  is  cer- 
tain.    And  I  am  going  to  believe  that  it  is !  " 


THE    END 


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